Kamala Mills fire: Judicial panel says hookah at Mojo’s Bistro led to blaze, recommends action against owners of building, two eateries

The committee also recommended action against a co-owner of the premises and owners of the two restaurants, blaming them for the incident. The fire at two rooftop restaurants — Mojo’s Bistro and ‘1Above’ — at Kamala Mills Compound in central Mumbai on 29 December, 2017 claimed 14 lives. The Bombay High Court-appointed judicial committee inquiring into the fire at Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai in 2017 held that the hookah served at Mojo’s Bistro restaurant was the immediate cause of the fire. According to media reports, the committee said, “The immediate and probable cause of the fire was that hookah was being served in the southern corner of Mojo’s Bistro restaurant with the help of charcoal burning segree on the open terrace with inflammable material all around and a crowd of youngsters dancing around.” The committee also recommended action against a co-owner of the premises and owners of the two restaurants, blaming them for the incident. “The owners of both the restaurants committed flagrant violations in converting the entire open terrace into two full-fledged restaurants divided by a partition of highly combustible material and covered by equally inflammable material, such as cotton curtains, plastic covers, etc.