“Massive Fire Destroys 198 Shops, Croma Store & Eateries in Mumbai’s Link Square Mall”
Early morning inferno at Bandra’s Link Square Mall destroys Croma showroom and 198 shops; fire crews battle hours-long blaze with no casualties reported so far.
Mumbai, April 29 — Mumbai residents woke up to yet another shocking fire early Tuesday morning, as a huge fire engulfed the Link Square Mall in Bandra (West), leaving authorities with serious concerns regarding fire safety in the city’s commercial establishments. The fire, which occurred around 4:11 AM in the basement-level Croma electronics store, has led to a Level-IV emergency response — one of the highest severity ratings given by the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB).
Thick black clouds of smoke were pouring out from the busy multi-storey shopping mall on Linking Road as firefighters initiated a massive operation to extinguish the fire that had rapidly engulfed the lower basement levels of the G+3 building.
198 Shops, Restaurants Hit; Ops Underway
Although limited to the Croma showroom spread over three basement levels, the fire has been said to have razed an estimated 198 shops and a number of restaurants accommodated within the mall. Eyewitness videos capture thick plumes of smoke billowing from the mall as emergency teams rushed to bring the blaze under control.
The firefighters have set up 12 motor pumps and three small hose lines in a continuous attempt to contain the fire. “Heavy smoke logging across the premises made the job very difficult,” an MFB spokesperson on the ground was quoted as saying. The good news is that no casualties or injuries have been reported yet.
Investigation Pending; Cause Yet to Be Determined
The reason for the fire remains unclear, and a thorough forensic report is to start once the spot is made safe. Police have sealed off the whole place as a precaution, and vehicles along the densely populated Linking Road have been rerouted.
Second Major Fire within a Week Sets Alarm Bell ringing
Tuesday’s blaze follows a similar massive fire at Ballard Estate’s historic Kaiser-i-Hind building — the address of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office. The fire that started just a few days ago at 2:31 AM was graded as Level-I but soon escalated to Level-III and lasted for almost nine hours. Though there were no injuries, many important documents are feared destroyed in the fire.
The two back-to-back incidents have once again spotlighted the urgent need for stringent fire safety audits across Mumbai’s aging commercial infrastructure.
As of the latest update, firefighting operations at Link Square Mall are still underway.
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