Exclusive | Thane: ‘Buildings must not switch off exhaust systems overnight’

Thanersquos Chief Fire Officer Girish Zalke on Thursday said that smoke generated by the fire that broke out on the 11th floor of the Dev Corpora building on Tuesday night spread rapidly as the highrisersquos exhaust system had been shut He also stated that glassfacade buildings arenrsquot a problem as long as they have functional firefighting systems Meanwhile a fire officer said a short circuit could have been behind the blazeThe spot where the blaze broke out in the Dev Corpora building on ThursdayDue to the highrisersquos glass facade smoke kept accumulating inside the 16storey building Asked why such a structure had been given fire permits Zalke stated that glassfacade buildings arenrsquot dangerous as long as they have functional firefighting systems ldquoDuring the operation we learnt that Dev Corporarsquos exhaust system had been shut as the power supply was switched off Ideally these systems should be working around the clockrdquo said ZalkeldquoWhen our team reached the spot dense smoke had engulfed the upper storeys of the building Using breathing apparatuses and a thermal camera our team found the source of the fire So much smoke had accumulated that we had to use 20 to 25 breathing apparatuses There were a few objects on the staircase but this was not a big issuerdquo he addedZalke said ldquoWe rescued nine people before we started firefighting Firemen broke the glass facade of the building We also discharged smoke with the help of portable exhaust fans which we carry with usrdquo As it was Anant Chaturdashi most of the fire brigade staff were on immersion duty at the time of the incident ldquoI was on duty at Parsik Mahagat when I was informed about the fire I asked another official to mobilise firemen to the spot while I made my way there The investigation is underway we are trying to complete it quicklyrdquo Zalke saidDinesh Patil the Panchpakhadi fire station incharge PicsSayyed Sameer AbediAccording to the official the Dev Corpora building was constructed around 2004 ldquoIt has a proper ventilation system but we faced challenges as the exhaust was switched off We turned it on as soon as we reached the spotrdquo he saidBusiness as usualDinesh Patil the Panchpakhadi fire station incharge was conducting a visual inspection of the spot which was completely gutted on Thursday According to Patil the fire could have originated from a switch box near the main entrance of the Jijau Foundation office and spread to a sofa beneath it ldquoIt was the furniture that created the smoke making it difficult to enter the officerdquo Patil saidWhen this reporter visited the building the power supply had been restored and all offices were abuzz with activity Employees however were hesitant to speak about the issues they were facing A member of the buildingrsquos management team said ldquoWe have switched off the power supply of all elevators as water had entered the system All offices are working as per their schedulerdquoGirish Zalke chief fire officer Thane Fire BrigadeA person who works on the 12th floor said ldquoAs the elevator is not working we are taking the staircaserdquo Another individual working in a private office below the 9th floor said that only a few employees had come to the workplace while others including senior citizens were working from home ldquoWe hope the elevator starts functioning againrdquo he saidRequirements for a fire NOCgtgt There should be smoke detectors and sprinklers in offices and lobbiesgtgt The building should have a fire prevention door on the staircasegtgt Onethird of the building should be openablegtgt There should not be obstructions in the lobby or on the staircasegtgt Commercial glassfacade buildings must have roundtheclock exhaust systemsgtgt There should be a separate water line for the firefighting systemgtgt There should be generators for fire elevators and equipment and a highcapacity booster pumpSept 17Day the fire broke out