Cooling operations at the fire-ravaged Link Square Mall in Bandra West are still ongoing and will be followed by a structural audit conducted by a private agency. Only after the audit and necessary repairs will the mall be certified for reopening—a process that could take weeks or even months, officials said. Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West Ward, Dinesh Pallewad, confirmed, “Cooling operations are still underway. After that, the police will conduct a panchnama.”

Civic officials explained that given the scale of the fire and damage, a detailed structural audit is mandatory. “The damage is significant and requires restoration. It’s difficult to predict when the mall can reopen,” said a civic official. During firefighting operations, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) encountered a rare ‘mushroom effect’—a phenomenon caused by poor ventilation.