We Used the Elevator to Escape: Kamala Mills Fire Survivor

An eye-witness and survivor from the Kamala Mills fire recounts how she escaped from the pub where she was dining.

Mala Kashyap recounts how she escaped from a pub inside the Kamala Mills Compound, right after the fire broke out.

(Photo courtesy: The Quint)

32-year-old Mala Kashyap, a marketing professional, luckily escaped unhurt from the fire which broke out at the ‘1 Above’ restaurant and spread to the ‘Mojo’ pub and bistro at the Kamla Trade House building inside the Kamala Mills Compound on Thursday night. The blaze, which has claimed 14 lives till now, started at around 12.20 am past midnight and was only brought under control at 6.30 am in the morning.

“There Were 100 - 120 of Us On the Floor When It Happened”

Speaking about her near death experience, Mala says that she had gone with her friends for a night out at the ‘1 Above’ restaurant but couldn’t find a place there, since it was packed with customers.

“Finding no space at ‘1 Above’, my friends finally managed to get a table at the adjacent ‘Mojo’ pub and bistro at around 11.45 pm. Everything was fine till around 12.18 or 12.20 when one of my friends pointed out to a fire blazing behind us. We initially thought that it was nothing serious, but soon realised that it was out of control. There were nearly 100 - 120 of us on the floor who rushed to the elevator. The cloth covering the open roof caught fire, and it spread quickly. The island bar was near by and sheeshas everywhere and having been in the F&B sector I knew that there would be plenty of inflammable liquids which could cause more damage.”

Mala Kashyap, Eye-witness and survivor

How Did the Fire Start?

Mala who was dining at Mojo when the fire broke out isn’t clear about how or where it started. “I was facing the other way, a friend on the table literally yelled saying ‘Dude, what the hell!’ and we immediately got up and in a spur of a few seconds captured the video thinking again that it was something really small but within 6 seconds we rushed out of that place.”

“We Used the Elevator to Escape”

Mala and her friends rushed to exit via the elevator which was at a distance from there area which had caught fire. “We were packing almost 15-16 people in the elevator for a single trip,” recalls Maya. “A friend who couldn’t get to the elevator, used the stairway but it was much closer to the where the fire was because he could feel the heat of the blaze. So using the elevator, though dangerous, seemed to be a safer option at the time.”

“The Fire Engines Arrived Within 10 Minutes”

Mala says the that the Mumbai Fire Brigade was quick to respond to the incident. “The fire fighters arrived by 12:34 am, literally within 10 or 11 minutes of this happening. One of my friends had also called one of the emergency numbers. As soon as we got down in the elevator, we rushed out of the building, and were literally about 5 steps away we heard the fire brigade enter the compound,” she recalls.