Overview
- A fast‑moving fire in a three‑storey building on Usha Mehta Marg trapped occupants and killed 15 people, mostly students, while rescue teams used ladders, hydraulic platforms and drilled access points to reach those inside on June 22.
- The FIR and eyewitnesses say many victims died of smoke inhalation after being cut off by a single entry and exit, no emergency evacuation door, poor ventilation and reports that a biometric or automatic gate delayed escape.
- Police have sealed the site, registered an FIR that cites irregular electrical work and other violations, arrested four building owners/operators and suspended multiple government officials as the probe seeks accountability.
- Forensic teams and the SIT are collecting evidence while investigators consider competing technical theories — including a short circuit in an LED/basement electrical unit or a fire starting in an AC duct — but no definitive cause has been confirmed.
- Records show the structure was approved for residential use in a 2014 self‑certification plan, faced a 2016 demolition order that was revoked, and fell below the height needing a fire NOC, a regulatory gap now driving calls for stricter enforcement and review.