Malad shanty fire: Blaze guts 100 homes at Jamrushi Nagar, 15 people injured

A 12yearold boy lost his life after a major fire broke out followed by a series of LPG cylinder explosions around 1115 am at Jamrushi Nagar near Wagheshwari temple in Kurar Village Malad East on Monday The child Prem Tukaram Bore had told his 11yearold friend he would come out to play with him after finishing some choresLittle did the two know that the day would end in tragedy with one of them losing his life and the other losing his homeAs many as 100 hutments were gutted in the flames While Bore was killed in the blast 15 others were injuredThe deceased was trapped in one of the hutments and had inhaled smoke PicsSameer MarkandeOfficials from the disaster management unit of the BMC and the Mumbai Fire Brigade said Bore was trapped in one of the hutments and had inhaled smoke Disturbing photos and videos of Bore lying in a pool of blood were circulated among localsThe child was rushed to the local Shatabdi hospital but was declared dead by doctors thereAlso Read IN PHOTOS Massive fire breaks out in Kurar Village of Malad 12yearold boy killedThe 11yearold requesting anonymity said ldquoI asked him to come to play but he said he was busy and had to finish some chores He asked me to go ahead saying he would join me half an hour later We then heard huge explosions I saw people running around with their belongings Our houses just vanished in the firerdquoEight fire engines and four jumbo tankers were pressed into service after the fire brigade learnt of the incident ldquoThose who sustained injuries were taken to nearby hospitals Most of them were discharged after receiving primary treatmentrdquo said a Mumbai Fire Brigade officer at the spotAngry residents mobbed and beat up a few media persons who had reached the spot to cover the incidentEntering the narrow and dirty lanes towards Jamrushi Nagar gives one a feeling of entering a hamlet with hillocks stony uneven roads and kutcha houses made of plastic and metal sheets and bricks in a few casesAn estimated 14000 families live in the area said a BMC official at the spot Most of them are encroachers The illfated 100 hutments that were gutted were part of the same slum setupThe Bombay High Court directed the forest department to rehabilitate eligible slum dwellers living outside Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 1997 Those eligible were supposed to pay R7000 for a flat Around 33000 slum families living between Borivli and Malad in the western suburbs and Mulund in the eastern suburbs had paid up and 13500 of them were shifted and rehabilitated on quarry land in Chandivli The rest have been awaiting rehabilitation which is pending asmdashaccording to the governmentmdashno new buildings can be built for slum rehabilitation at Chandivli because it is near an airport funnel areaHowever since thousands were in need of rehabilitation the thenBJP government decided to shift the slum dwellers to Aarey However the Maha Vikas Aghadi later came to power in the state the pandemic struck and Aarey was declared a forestldquoThose eligible and who have paid R7000 should be rehabilitated Their condition is very bad For now we are trying to help all those affected by the firerdquo said Vinod Mishra former corporator from Kurar village11Age of deceasedrsquos friend who lost home