Over 300 Mumbaikars have lost their lives in fires over the last six years. Seven among them were firemen. A recent RTI query has highlighted the shocking numbers that raise an important question – is Mumbai compromising on fire safety norms?

There have been over 29,000 instances of fire across the city since 2012. A whopping 710 cases have been recorded till May 2018 alone. Be it slums, heritage buildings or skyscrapers, none of these buildings are completely fireproof. “Old buildings don’t come under the purview of Maharashtra Fire Prevention Act,” Prabhat Rahangdale, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai, told The Quint.

But old and heritage buildings are not the only ones that are susceptible to fires. The 13 June fire at Mumbai’s BeauMonde building in Prabhadevi exposed the difficulties faced by the fire brigade while extinguishing fires that occur at higher floors of skyscrapers.

“Wind velocity and deployment at such a height is a huge challenge while dousing fires at high rise buildings. But if all the installations like fire-pumps, sprinklers, risers, hose reel and detectors are in good working condition, then it really helps. Apart from installations, it’s important to educate occupants of the buildings and train security guards,” says Rahangdale.

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