Mumbai: Small fire at Fort's Kitab Khana temporarily shuts iconic shop

Fire brigade officials inside Kitab Khana on Wednesday. Pics/Bipin Kokate

A fire broke out at Kitab Khana book store inside the over 160-year-old Somaiya Bhavan next to Flora-Fountain, Fort early on Wednesday evening. The popular bookstore that has a stock of about 72,000 books at any given time, was affected in the fire and will be temporarily closed while the owners ascertain the damage. Although the fire was not a major one, it created panic in the commercial area as the building is a wooden structure and has many offices inside.

The fire engines outside Somaiya Bhavan on Wednesday evening

At least 15 fire engines were at the spot to handle untoward incidents or in case the fire spread, said fire brigade officials, adding that 30 people were evacuated from the building and no one was injured.

The fire broke out around 4.45 pm in the kitchen of Kitab Khana on the ground floor, near Bombay House. The building is a four-storey wooden structure and the shop, consisting of a mezzanine floor, is adored by booklovers. The shop will have to remain shut for some time as there is a lot of water, used in the firefighting operations, inside. Following the lockdown, the store changed its timings and thus, when the fire broke out, there were not many people inside as it was closing time. The store operates between 11 am and 5 pm.

Eight fire engines with six jumbo tankers were sent initially to the spot. The fire was a level 2, with the highest level being 5 and lowest being 1. Generally, eight engines are enough for such a fire level. "But since the building is old and is made of wood, more engines were sent as a precautionary measure," said an officer with the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

The fire was under control and doused completely by 7.30 pm. "The small fire was brought under control within an hour," said Sujata Sanap, the local corporator. Owner of the building, Amrita Somaiya, said, "Within 10 minutes, the fire brigade had arrived and fortunately no one was injured. We have tried to salvage the books but they have been damaged of course, as they don't take water and smoke well. We are yet to ascertain the extent of damage caused to the store and how many books have been damaged. We will be closed temporarily, but we will definitely come back."

About Kitab Khana

Kitab Khana belongs to the Somaiya family, founders of the Somaiya Trust that runs a chain of educational and cultural institutions across Mumbai. Amrita and Samir Somaiya were on the same plane when the time came to take a call on the future of this prime property that stood on the ground floor of 160-plus-year-old Somaiya Bhavan near Flora Fountain. The Somaiya's had rented it to a private bank and it was lying vacant for nearly six years until 2011 when they decided the space would be converted into a sprawling bookstore. Within this space, they wanted to create a better experience for all age groups and readers. Amrita's father, Ahmedabad-based restoration architect, Jitendra Mistry ensured that Kitab Khana would retain the vibe of a heritage structure. It was designed for browsing but retained the heritage structure's columns, stained glass and wrought iron railings. The grand wrought-iron spiral staircase was painstakingly re-laid from the entrance to the back of the store, beside the café, Food for Thought.

4.45
Time in the evening when the fire started

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