“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity.
The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

The devastating fire at the Link Square shopping complex in Bandra, Mumbai, on Tuesday exposed a critical flaw in fire safety: the presence of fire-fighting equipment is meaningless if it does not function when needed. The blaze, which consumed the three-storey mall housing 220 shops, took 72 firefighters 12 hours to contain and 22 hours to fully extinguish. The Mumbai Fire Brigade’s preliminary findings reveal a sobering truth: the building’s fire-fighting system, including sprinklers, was inoperative, turning the complex into a “tinder box waiting to be lit.” This incident underscores the dangers of non-functional safety systems and raises urgent questions about why such failures occur and how they can be prevented.

The fire, believed to have originated in the basement occupied by the electronics retailer Croma, escalated rapidly from a Level 1 to a Level 4 fire within hours, fuelled by combustible materials and poor ventilation. Chief Fire Officer Ravi Ambulgekar noted that the sprinklers and other fire-fighting mechanisms were non-functional, a fact corroborated by an assistant divisional fire officer who highlighted the inaccessibility of the system’s manual controls in the basement. Compounding the issue, security guards lacked access to fire extinguishers, as keys were unavailable. The fire alarm, while operational until 3 p.m., could not compensate for the absence of active suppression systems. This combination of failures transformed a manageable incident into a catastrophic blaze that endangered lives and destroyed livelihoods.

Why did the fire-fighting system fail? The answer lies in a mix of systemic negligence and inadequate oversight. The complex regularly submitted Form B, a certification indicating a working fire safety system, suggesting either falsified documentation or lapsed maintenance. The possibility of a manual system requiring basement access points to poor design, as the basement became unreachable during the fire. Additionally, the lack of accessible extinguishers for security personnel indicates a failure in training and resource allocation. The building’s glass-encased structure and hoard of combustible materials exacerbated the situation, but the absence of functional sprinklers allowed the fire to spread unchecked. This incident reveals a broader issue: compliance on paper does not guarantee safety in practice.

The risks of non-functional fire-fighting equipment are stark. Without sprinklers, fires grow exponentially, as seen in the rapid escalation from Level 1 to Level 4 in just over two hours. Inoperative systems place undue pressure on firefighters, who faced intense heat and smoke that nearly trapped them. The reliance on external interventions, such as breaking glass for ventilation and deploying a fire robot, highlights the vulnerability of buildings without internal suppression capabilities. Moreover, the prolonged effort to extinguish the fire — 22 hours — demonstrates the resource drain and economic impact of such failures. Had the sprinklers worked, the fire might have been contained early, sparing the 220 shops and restaurants from destruction.

To prevent such tragedies, rigorous precautions must be implemented. Building managers must ensure regular maintenance and testing of fire-fighting systems, with independent audits to verify functionality beyond mere documentation. Automated sprinkler systems should replace manual ones to eliminate reliance on inaccessible controls. Security personnel and staff require comprehensive training and immediate access to extinguishers and other equipment. Local authorities should enforce stricter compliance, with unannounced inspections and severe penalties for falsified certifications. Finally, building designs must prioritize ventilation and limit combustible materials to reduce fire intensity. By prioritizing functional safety systems over superficial compliance, future disasters like the Link Square fire can be averted.