Toddler and Nanny Die in Vile Parle West House Fire
A two-and-a-half-year-old boy and his 23-year-old nanny died after a fire broke out in a double flat on the 11th floor of Shanta Bhuvan CHS Ltd on Baptista Road in Vile Parle West on Tuesday night. Eight other people were injured in the blaze, which officials suspect was caused by an iron box in the hall.
The toddler, Abir Siddharth Vatavia, died in the arms of his nanny, Ankita Chetri, after she sought refuge in the bathroom to escape the flames. Assistant divisional fire officer Prakash Sakpal stated that both might have been saved had they not locked themselves inside the bathroom out of fear. Abir's parents were not at home during the incident, while his five-year-old sister, Amyra, was rescued by her grandfather.
The incident injured eight people, including three members of the Vatavia family: 64-year-old Hiren Vatavia, 32-year-old Parth Vatavia, and 33-year-old Yashasvi Vatavia. Neighbour Abhishek Agarwal, building watchman Shivam Dwivedi, and fire brigade employee Manoj Sonawane were also injured.
Fire personnel reported that the flames were confined to electrical wiring, installations, an air conditioning unit, household articles, a sofa, a bed, a false ceiling, and kitchen utensils inside the 4,000-square-foot apartment. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 1:00 a.m. The 11-storied building, which was constructed by the toddler's family, had been recently redeveloped and received an occupation certificate in 2020.
Fire officials noted that the firefighting response faced challenges because no residents or security personnel knew how to guide firefighters to the pump room or operate the equipment. The building's secretary, Ketan Parekh, stated that security personnel were not trained on the system and the only watchman who knew how to operate it was injured. Social activist Rajesh Mehta noted that buildings in the area fall under the airport funnel zone and lack overhead water tanks, relying instead on electrical boosters that failed to activate sprinklers once power was cut off.
Chetri was the sole earning member of her family. According to neighbouring resident Nipa Vora, Chetri worked to support her family after her mother lost her eyesight, her father was confined to home due to health issues, and her elder brother passed away last year.
