Canteen was airconditioned,had no gas cylinders

The basement of Bombay House,with an area of about 5,000 square feet, was being used for many activities.

The basement of Bombay House,with an area of about 5,000 square feet, was being used for many activities. It had a canteen,a mini-auditorium to accommodate 200-plus people,an office and a room for the generator set and air-conditioning plant along with an eight-feet wide common passage in the middle.

Thzze canteen did not have any cooking gas cylinders,only a hot plate and a microwave oven where precooked food was heated. While the office timing for the rest of the office is 9.30,the canteen staff along with some other administrative staff typically comes early to prepare the days food.

According to fire officials,the windows in the basement were completely blocked and there was no scope for fresh air to come in since the entire basement was air-conditioned. According to fire officials,crowbars and hammers had to be used to break the split-air conditioning unit to enable the smoke to escape.

Story continues below this ad

While the fire department recently issued over 230 notices to various commercial buildings,multiplexes,etc for violating fire safety norms,Bombay House was not on that list.

Typically there is no mandate to routinely check or inspect heritage structures for fire safety norms, said an official from the Fire Department.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram