Mumbai: With nearly 1,500 people inside Aaykar Bhavan on Monday afternoon when a fire broke out in its basement, the presence of floor marshals, staff awareness of emergency exits and a coordinated evacuation helped prevent panic and a possible stampede, ensuring that no injuries were reported, said Mumbai fire brigade officials who were involved in the fire fighting operations.The building has designated floor marshals who helped guide employees during the evacuation. “Staff were also familiar with the available exits, which officials said was crucial in preventing people from rushing towards a single exit and creating a stampede-like situation,” said a fire brigade official pointing that even though the fire fighting operations went on for around five hours, there wasn’t any injury or fatality reported because of the systems in place. He added that an operational WhatsApp group used by employees also helped during the evacuation, with information about the evacuation process and access routes being shared among staff on the group.The building’s in-built firefighting systems, including smoke detectors and fire alarms, did not aid the operation. Officials said this was expected, as the power supply had been shut off as a precaution. Firefighters were wading through knee-deep water in the basement, where the fire originated, raising fears of an electrical shock. They therefore decided to immediately disconnect the power supply.The basement, accessible through three staircases, apart from containing steel trunks, wooden cupboards and other stored material also housed arms and ammunition, which were among the first items to be moved out after the fire was detected because of the potential danger posed by the intense heat.Fire brigade officers said a detailed investigation into the cause of the fire will be conducted. Officials from the Public Works Departments, including the chief electrical inspector, forensic officials and BEST who were called in to assist in determining the cause of the blaze on Tuesday will also join in the investigations.
