October 24, 2025: A massive fire broke out on Thursday in a 13-storey commercial building in Jogeshwari, exposing grave safety lapses and violations. The blaze gutted several offices at the JSM Business Center in Behrambaug, a structure that reportedly lacked an Occupation Certificate (OC) and had multiple illegal alterations.
It took eight to ten fire engines and numerous firefighters nearly four hours to bring the blaze under control. While there were no fatalities, 27 people were rescued and treated at Jogeshwari Trauma Hospital for suffocation. The fire began around 10:41 a.m. on the ninth floor before spreading to the upper floors, which housed a physiotherapy centre. Videos of trapped occupants calling for help from balconies captured the chaos.
“The building does not have an Occupation Certificate (OC) because the fire safety norms were not followed,” said Nilofer Parvaz, a member of the JMS Business Owners Association, who later lodged an FIR at Oshiwara police station. Parvaz alleged that the developers, Sirajuddin Shaikh and Maqsood Jethwa, violated all space and fire safety norms. “They have been exploiting buyers, and today, it is their negligence, rather than greed, that has gutted so many offices,” she added.
Another tenant, Firoz Qureshi, said, “The three-storey parking area had been rented out for commercial use. The firefighting system is dysfunctional, no sprinklers are installed, and there’s no space for fire vehicles to enter.”
Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar confirmed, “Eight to ten fire tenders were deployed. The cause of the fire will be determined after the probe. But we will issue notice to the building for the lack of a functional firefighting system.”
A fire official added, “The building was not centrally air-conditioned, so we had to break the glass facade for ventilation. There was heavy smoke logging, and the terrace was locked.”
Source: The Times of India
