The death toll of the Kandivali catering kitchen fire reached four on Monday. The owner of the catering business, Shivani Gandhi (51), who was 70% burnt, was declared dead at Airoli's National Burns Centre. Gandhi is survived by her husband and two children. Out of seven critically injured, three were declared dead on Sunday.
Gas Explosion on September 24
It was on Wednesday, September 24, that seven people, including six women, suffered severe burn injuries of up to 90% after a gas explosion in a catering service kitchen called Shivani Caterers in Kandivali's Akurli Cross Road No. 3. The victims were taken to National Burns Centre in Airoli and Kasturba Hospital, after initial treatment at ESCI and Aum Hospital in Borivali.
Three Victims Declared Dead on Sunday
On Sunday, the disaster management team informed that Raksha Joshi (47), who was under treatment at Kasturba Hospital, and Nitu Gupta (31) and Poonam (28), both admitted in Airoli Burns Centre, were declared dead. All three had suffered 80% to 90% burns.
Two Women Critical, One Male Stable
The other two female victims — Janaki Gupta (39) and Durga Gupta (30) — both with 70% to 90% burns, remain in critical condition. The only male victim in the incident, Manaram Kumavat (55), who has suffered 40% burn injuries, is in stable condition.
Cause of the Fire
The incident took place at 9.05 a.m. on September 24 at Ram Kisan Mestri Chawl, Akurli Cross Road, Kandivali. As per the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) officials, the owners had shifted their catering kitchen to the shop only two days before the incident. Earlier, the business was being run in the same chawl, two shops ahead. The fire was a result of an LPG gas leak that led to the cylinder explosion. All seven people present in the 10x12 sq. ft. unit suffered severe burns, including its owner, Shivani Gandhi.
The residents in the area said that the victims could smell the gas leak for some time and had also come out of the shop for a while. They even put the cylinder in water to avoid any mishap. However, as they re-entered the shop, the cylinder exploded, leading to a flash fire.
No Fire NOC or Permissions
The MFB said that the shop had no Fire NOC. The unit neither had the required permissions from the civic ward office nor from the police.
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