Mumbai, August  22: The high rising Crystal Tower building located in Mumbai’s Parel Area which caught fire here this morning, killing four people, did not have the Occupation Certificate (OC). A civic official said that a notice had been issued in 2016 to the building's developer and its 58 occupants, but it was challenged in court.

The official said, “The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's building proposal department had issued a notice under section 353(a) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act to the developer, architects and all 58 occupants of the Crystal Tower on October 26, 2016.” In its notice, The BMC said, “The building has been occupied without having been certified. Therefore, the building be vacated within seven days and not to cause it to be reoccupied until it has been duly certified."

However, the notice was challenged by the builder in the Shindewadi court here, and the matter is sub-judice, the official said. The building did not have the OC, and its firefighting system was not in place, which resulted in the flames spreading on the upper floors, an official at the fire brigade control room said.

Earlier in the day, at least four people have been killed while 16 others have been injured after a massive fire ripped the building. "The blaze erupted on the 12th floor of the building and spread rapidly to flats on the other upper floors. Because of the smoke and heat, the residents on those floors got trapped," Mumbai fire brigade chief P S Rahangdale said. He further added that the building's electric duct was not sealed on each floor and this was a major cause of the fire and smoke spreading on the upper floors.

The fire broke out due to short circuit. According to a report by CNN News 18, the Mumbai Police has said that FIR will be registered if need be. Initially, the Level-2 fire that broke out in the tower, but later it became Level-4 fire. The firemen managed to rescue another 20 persons stranded in the smoke-spewing residential building.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2018 07:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).