Mumbai: Rebutting allegations of delayed response to a fire in an Andheri Lokhandwala building early on Saturday, which claimed the lives of a 34-year-old resident and her two dogs, fire brigade officials said the first distress call it received was from a building resident at 2.37am and not from police. Asserting that “delayed response is just not an option”, they said a team was at the spot by 2.55am.
Residents of Brooklyn building had alleged that their calls to the fire brigade helpline were unattended and many were directed to an interactive voice response system (IVRS). They also claimed that rescuers arrived about 35 minutes later after police were persuaded to call them.

An official said if any resident faced a problem with connecting to the helpline, it could be because some telecom service providers do not allow access to emergency numbers, adding that the helpline does not have an IVRS.
“Under no circumstance can fire brigade personnel delay attending to a fire call. Mobilisation is done immediately. We have a digital system and all calls are recorded. Our staffers are present 24 hours. There is no scope of a call not being registered on our helpline,” said chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar.
Officials said the building’s terrace was locked, which could have prevented people from seeking refuge there. The housing society’s office-bearers said it was locked as a safety measure.
Meanwhile, of the six residents who were injured in the fire, five who were admitted to Kokilaben Hospital—including a 10-day-old and a three-year-old boy—are stable and expected to be discharged soon. Dr Mihir Dalal, the hospital’s assistant vice-president, said none of them had burn injuries. “There was only smoke inhalation. They are recovering well.”
The sixth resident, Kartik Sanjanwala (40), took discharge against medical advice (DAMA) from Cooper Hospital. Doctors said Sanjanwala arrived with complaints of breathlessness and smoke inhalation. “We recommended continuous oxygen support, but he took DAMA,” said a doctor.