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A year after a massive fire gutted Link Square Mall in Bandra, destroying around 200 businesses over a gruelling 22-hour firefighting operation. While a preliminary report points to an electrical short circuit, a final conclusion remains pending, leaving affected traders without closure or compensation. Of the nearly 200 tenants who lost their shops, only 20 to 30 have managed to restart businesses in the area, many after taking on debt or shifting to alternate livelihoods.

Preliminary report points to electrical cause

Smoke billows from Link Square Mall during the fire last year. Pic/Atul Kamble

Fire officials said initial findings suggested the blaze may have originated from an electrical short circuit, which then spread rapidly due to flammable materials inside the building. Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgaker confirmed that the preliminary report submitted to the BMC also indicated an electrical origin.

Slow recovery in numbers

Charred remains of Link Square Mall a year after the 22-hour blaze. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

>>Around 200 businesses were destroyed
>>Only 20-30 tenants have restarted operations
>>Firefighting operation lasted 22 hours

The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) report

The report was submitted by the Mumbai Fire Brigade in June 2025, over a month after the fire: 
1 The firefighting system was non-functional, and the building lacked automatic sprinklers. This acts as a “fire trap”. 
2 The fire started in a basement electronics showroom and was intensified by a sealed, unventilated structure
3 The manual fire-safety system (hose pipes/extinguishers) did not work because the power went out, and there were no automatic sprinkler systems
4 The report suggested action against the private agency responsible for auditing the fire systems, as they had declared the firefighting system operational, while it actually failed during fire fighting operations. 

Civic probe into fire safety lapses

Following the incident, the then Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani ordered an inquiry under the then Joint Municipal Commissioner D Gangadharan.

The inquiry is examining:
>>Why the two-decade-old building was granted a fire NOC
>> Whether firefighting systems were compliant with safety norms
>>Why existing systems failed to respond effectively during the fire
Fire brigade findings indicated that while firefighting systems were operational, they were not up to the required standards to handle a blaze of such intensity.

Restarting at a cost

Charred remains of Link Square Mall stand a year after the 22-hour blaze. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Some traders have managed to resume operations, by taking financial risks. Ashfque Patel, a former tenant, has reopened his shop in the basement of a nearby complex. “There have been meetings with the mall owner where rebuilding was discussed. We hope work begins soon,” he said. Another tenant, who requested anonymity, said he had to pawn his wife’s jewellery to restart business. “We are far from recovering our losses. Every day, we work next to the burnt remains of what we lost,” he said.

Traders count losses

For many tenants, the financial impact has been devastating, with little to no compensation.

Mohammad Naem Mistry, who ran “Fine Men” on the first floor, said he suffered losses of `6–7 lakh.

“I have not received a single rupee. As a mid-scale shop, I did not have insurance. I approached MLAs and MPs, but nothing came of it,” he said.

Mistry spent much of the past year working with ride-sharing and delivery platforms such as Rapido and Porter to sustain himself. 

“I couldn’t contact the mall owner and could not afford rent elsewhere. I recently found an office job, but I have received nothing in return for my losses,” he added.

Fire broke out before dawn, response delayed

According to fire officials, the first call to the fire brigade was received at 3.52 am. However, the alert was delayed as those who initially spotted the fire attempted to douse it themselves before contacting authorities. A senior fire official said, “It was a very dangerous and intense fire. Our teams attempted to enter the structure to control it from inside, but the heat made it extremely difficult, forcing them to retreat.”
The blaze took nearly 22 hours to bring under control.

Inputs by Eeshanpriya MS