Two Dead as Fire Engulfs 11th Floor Flat in Vile Parle High-Rise

A two-year-old boy and his 23-year-old caretaker died of suffocation on Tuesday night after a severe fire broke out on the 11th floor of Shanta Bhuvan Co-operative Housing Society on Baptista Road in Vile Parle.

The deceased were identified as two-year-old Abir and his caretaker Ankita Chhetri. According to fire officials, Chhetri took refuge in a bathroom with the toddler as flames spread rapidly through the 4,000-square-foot residence. Trapped inside without ventilation, both inhaled excessive smoke, lost consciousness, and were declared dead on arrival after being rushed to the hospital.

The incident occurred around 10:00 p.m. in flat 1102 of the ground-plus-11-storey building located near St. Xavier’s School. Five people were inside the three-bedroom apartment when the blaze began in the living room. The Mumbai Fire Brigade declared a Level-I fire at 10:08 p.m., escalating it to Level-II at 10:16 p.m. Firefighters, police, ambulances, electricity distribution teams, and local civic staff doused the fire at around 1:00 a.m. after nearly three hours of operations.

The flat owner, 64-year-old real estate developer Hiren Batavia, had constructed the building through his firm, Labh Homes Creations. Batavia was in the living room when the fire started and managed to rescue his six-year-old granddaughter, Maira. He attempted to re-enter the residence to rescue Abir and others but was forced back by intense heat and suffered minor burn injuries. Abir's parents had stepped out for a post-dinner walk at the time of the incident.

Abir's uncle, 32-year-old Parth, was in the shower in another bedroom and experienced a heat wave upon stepping out. He covered himself with a towel and reached a bedroom window for natural ventilation, using his phone's torchlight to signal emergency responders below.

Eight people survived the incident with minor injuries or smoke inhalation. Society security guard Shivam Dwivedi, 29, suffered burn injuries while attempting to assist the family. Fireman Manoj Sonawane, 30, sustained hand injuries while breaking a glass window to enable ventilation. Both were treated and discharged from Cooper Hospital alongside neighbours Yashaswi Aggarwal and her husband Abhishek, who were briefly hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

Fire officials are investigating two potential causes of the blaze: an electrical short circuit in an air conditioning unit above the living room television, or an unattended iron press left on clothes. The fire destroyed electrical installations, household articles, furniture, a false ceiling, and the kitchen. The child's funeral was held on Wednesday.