How glass-facade of Thane building almost became a death trap

A fire tender at the Dev Corpa high-rise building in Thane. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Firemen had to fight for more than five hours to douse a midnight blaze that broke out in the 16-storey Dev Corpora building in Khopat, Thane. The incident exposed the dangers of modern architecture, with shared ducts quickly spreading the smoke across several floors, and the glass facade trapping it all in.

Former Maharashtra Fire Service Director Prabhat Rahangdale emphasised that the National Building Code requires one-third of a glass facade building's area to be openable for ventilation during a fire. "In this particular building, the smoke became trapped because there was no way for it to escape, which also posed challenges for firefighting," he said.

Firefighters had to break the glass facade to allow the smoke to move out of the building

Architect Rahul Kadri pointed out that glass facade buildings offer very limited space for ventilation. "Even the windows that can be opened usually can't exceed 30 per cent of their capacity, preventing smoke from escaping during a fire. Properly openable windows would prevent smoke from getting trapped inside the building," he explained.

One of the fire officials noted that although the building had windows designed for ventilation, they were shut because the offices were closed. "The smoke generated by the fire accumulated inside the office and later spread throughout the building. We had to break the windows to allow the trapped smoke to escape," the official added.

The incident

The fire occurred on the 11th floor and trapped ten people, all of whom were successfully rescued by the fire brigade. Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Regional Disaster Management Department of Thane Municipal Corporation, explained, "The fire was small, but the smoke spread through a viaduct across the building. Dense smoke creates a challenge in firefighting." The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

The fire broke out in the Jijau Foundation office on the 11th floor around midnight on Tuesday. Sachin Sharma, secretary of the Dev Corpora Premises Cooperative Society, said, "Two firemen on duty saw the fire. They assured no one was trapped, but it was difficult to locate the fire's source because of the smoke." The Thane Fire Brigade responded quickly and began their rescue operation. "Our firemen saved several people from the eye hospital," added Sharma, noting that the building's internal fire-fighting system was functional.

Watchman Jabbar Sheikh, 52, from the Santati Test Tube Baby Centre was rescued from the first floor, while nine people were evacuated from the eye hospital on the seventh floor. Those rescued included Baby Sheikh, 65; Wasim Sheikh, 42; Aman Sheikh, 18; Suresh Sawant, 71; Indumati Chandmare, 60; Chaya Gangurde, 60; Sarika Vandre, 33; Devyanti Gupta, 60; and Malti Warise, 62.

Chief Fire Officer Girish Zalke said, "Dense smoke made firefighting difficult. We had to break some glass panels to allow the smoke to escape. The internal fire-fighting system was operational, and our investigation is ongoing." Deputy Police Commissioner Subhash Burse said that while the investigation continues, a short circuit appears to be the likely cause.

The fire was extinguished by 4 am on Wednesday, with the fire brigade using three fire vehicles, one rescue vehicle, and other equipment. Cooling operations continued until 9 am According to society secretary Sharma, most offices resumed work, but the elevator power supply remained off due to water damage during the firefighting efforts.

Past incidents of fire in glass facade buildings

Lotus Business
Park Fire
July19, 2014

A major fire erupted on the 21st floor of Lotus Business Park, Andheri, and spread to the 20th floor. Firefighters were promptly dispatched to extinguish the flames. Tragically, one firefighter lost his life, and 20 others were injured during the seven-hour operation. The intense heat caused the building's glass façade to melt, with falling shards landing on a nearby eatery's rooftop.

Rolta Technology Park Fire
February 13 2020

A fire broke out at Rolta Technology Park, located in the Marol area of MIDC, Andheri East. Firefighters successfully rescued 25 people from the glass façade building. The operation was challenging due to thick smoke trapped inside the structure, exacerbated by the building's glass exterior.

11.50 pm
Time the fire broke out on Tuesday night in Dev Corpora near Cadbury junction off EEH

4 am
Time on Wednesday firemen doused the blaze and completed rescue ops