MHADA to demolish two floors of Johri Mansion

Two days after a fire gutted the 100-year-old wooden Johri Mansion, killing a man and his three-year-old grandchild, the Mumbai Fire Brigade has instructed MHADA to demolish the fourth and fifth floor of the building and repair it later to maintain the stability of the structure.

The four-storey building on Kalbadevi Road caught fire on Tuesday, allegedly due to a short circuit on the first floor. The fourth and fifth floor were the worst affected due to the fire.

“Parts of the top two floors have fallen apart and many portions that are hanging need to be demolished. A lot of portion has fallen on the third floor, putting load on it. Adequate safety measures need to be taken immediately,” said deputy chief fire officer P Karguppikar. He further said, “For the stability of the building it is necessary to repair the damaged parts. Part of the fourth and fifth floors have collapsed and the staircase of the third floor is totally damaged, they will have to be demolished and resurrected.”

He added that the remaining floors, from the third floor onwards, are in a stable condition. The fire department has also given instructions to support the structure as a precautionary measure.

The fire department is investigating the exact cause of the fire. The fire is said to have started in the lower floors of the building and soon the upper floors came under its grip. Cloth material, cotton mattresses and furniture which was stored on the fifth floor of the building caught fire and huge flames erupted destructing the top floors.

According to fire officials, the fire fighting operation was difficult to carry out as the staircase had collapsed. “The fire was combated with aerial ladders from the back of the building as there was no way to go inside,” Karguppikar said. The cooling operations are expected to be completed by Friday.

Source: indianexpress.com