A massive fire erupted in a shop beneath a double-storeyed house in Siddharth Colony, Chembur, on Sunday morning, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including three children. Initially, five fatalities were reported, but this number later rose to seven. The fire, caused by a short circuit, ignited the ground-floor shop and quickly spread to the upper house where the Gupta family lived, leading to the tragic loss of life.
Upon learning of the incident, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site and announced a compensation of five lakh rupees for each victim's family, assuring a thorough investigation into the matter. Eyewitnesses recounted that the fire started in the grocery store on the ground floor, which contained kerosene cans. The fire brigade arrived promptly but could not save the residents of the upper floor. The fire was brought under control around 9 am, but all seven individuals trapped inside were declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Chief Minister Shinde expressed condolences, stating, "A mountain of grief has fallen on the Gupta family. This is a very unfortunate incident. The government will provide five lakh rupees for each deceased person and will ensure the injured receive treatment."
The Municipal Corporation reported that the fire originated from a faulty meter box and was exacerbated by the kerosene. While Chediram Gupta and his son Dharmadev managed to escape, Geethadevi, Anita, Vidhi, Narendra, Prem, and Manju Gupta were trapped and perished in the flames. The deceased were later taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar for post-mortem.