A glass facade proved a hindrance for firefighters yet again after a fire broke out at the Link Square Mall in Bandra West early on Tuesday morning. According to Mumbai Fire Brigade officials, the alarm wasn’t raised until the situation got serious, as flames and smoke had gone undetected by those outside the building.

According to the fire brigade, the blaze inside the mall—which comprises three basements and three storeys and houses 198 stores, including an electronics goods showroom—was reported at 4.11 am.  It is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. “When our first team reached the spot, they observed that dense smoke was trapped inside the building. So, there is a possibility that fire had broken out much earlier but went undetected because of the building’s glass façade,” a fire brigade official who was at the spot told mid-day.