A tragic fire incident in Mumbai’s Chembur East claimed the lives of seven members of the Gupta family in the early hours of Sunday. The fire broke out in their ground-plus-two slum structure at Siddharth Nagar around 4:45 am, caused by a diya lit for Navratri in their home temple, which accidentally ignited kerosene illegally stored in their kirana shop. The fire rapidly spread, engulfing the entire building and leading to the deaths of Manju Prem Gupta (30), Prem Chediram Gupta (30), Anita Dharmdev Gupta (39), Gitadevi Gupta (60), and three children, Presi Prem Gupta (6), Narendra Gupta (10), and Vidhi Chediram Gupta (15). They were all declared dead on arrival at Rajawadi Hospital.
Two family members, Dharam Dev Gupta (45) and his father Chediram Gupta (70), managed to escape after Chediram noticed the flames and raised the alarm. Neighbors and rescuers were able to reach the house, but the fire spread quickly, making it difficult to save the family members who had already inhaled a significant amount of smoke.
The narrow lanes of the slum hindered the fire brigade’s response, as fire tenders had to be parked at a distance, and the water hoses were extended to reach the site. The fire was eventually brought under control by 9:15 am.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh for the families of the victims and assured that the injured would receive free treatment at government hospitals. He also ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident and visited the site along with Union minister Ramdas Athawale and other officials to offer support to the affected families.
