Mumbai: A day before her son’s wedding, a 62-year-old woman was killed in a fire, suspected to have originated from a lit diya, in her flat on the uppermost floor of a 13-storey building in Vile Parle on Monday. A 34-year-old relative, who was the only other occupant of the flat at the time, suffered burn injuries.The fire raged through the home, damaging electrical wiring and installations, furniture, clothes, household articles, an air-conditioner, a refrigerator, a washing machine, decorative items and the kitchen’s false ceiling, and spread to the adjacent flat owned by the same family, where electrical wiring, installations and gym equipment were affected. Firefighters took over three hours to bring it under control. The building’s fire safety equipment was also used. While a fire official said the cause of the blaze was yet to ascertained, neighbours and witnesses said a diya had been kept lit in the house temple as part of wedding rituals and it was likely that a mattress placed nearby first caught fire. A family acquaintance said only the two women—Bhavana Bharat Satra (62), wife of a developer, and Aneri Jitendra Satra (34)—were inside the flat, while other family members were on the terrace. Officials said the fire was reported around 9.40am and fire engines reached within minutes. They said both women were rescued and rushed to Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle. Bhavana was declared dead before admission and Aneri, who suffered 6% burns, was admitted to the ICU. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control at 12.54pm. Rescuers doused the flames using three hose lines—two small hose lines and one high-pressure line—deployed from five motor pumps. Additional support was provided through a hose line from a turntable ladder and another from the building’s fixed firefighting system. Senior fire officers, along with station officers and fire brigade personnel, supervised the operation. A total of five fire engines, two tankers, two aerial water tower tenders, a hydraulic platform, a turntable ladder, a breathing apparatus van and an ambulance were deployed.
