Fire Breaks Out at Aayakar Bhavan in Churchgate, 1,500 Evacuated

A fire broke out at Aayakar Bhavan, Mumbai's Income Tax office in Churchgate, on Monday afternoon, leading to the evacuation of approximately 1,500 employees.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade received a call reporting the blaze at 2:01 pm. Firefighting and evacuation efforts were carried out simultaneously and were completed successfully by the evening.

The primary challenge during the operation, alongside evacuating the large workforce, was the danger posed by dense smoke inside the building. Smoke built up rapidly in enclosed areas, specifically the basement, and spread to the upper floors.

The incident has brought fire-safety concerns regarding basements in large city buildings back under the scanner. It highlighted the particular hazards posed when basement spaces are utilized to store large volumes of combustible materials.