Kamala Mills Compound Fire (2017): A Case Study in Fire Safety and Urban Planning

Fourteen people went out for a night at two rooftop restaurants in Mumbai and never came home. Eleven were women and three were men. None of them died of burns. According to the MCGM enquiry report, all fourteen died of asphyxia after taking shelter in a toilet on the terrace of the 1Above restaurant, as smoke filled the space around them.

The place

Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel, Mumbai, is an old textile mill turned into a busy commercial complex of offices, restaurants, pubs and bars. Its buildings sit close together, connected by narrow lanes. By 2017 it was one of the city’s most popular places for a night out, and concerns had already been raised about unauthorised construction and fire safety in the compound.

What happened

Shortly after midnight on 29 December 2017, a fire broke out at two restaurants on the terrace of the Trade House building in the compound: 1Above and Mojo’s Bistro. The police account reproduced in the MCGM enquiry report records the fire being reported at 00:15.

The fire spread fast. The terraces had been covered and enclosed with temporary structures and combustible décor. Escape routes were narrow, shared and confusing, and the late-night crowd made it harder to get out. People who could not find a clear way down took shelter in a washroom, and the smoke reached them there. The police account says more than 30 people were injured.

Why it was so deadly

• Illegal structures. Unauthorised rooftop extensions and enclosures added fuel and blocked or narrowed the ways out.
• Combustible décor. Bamboo, fabric and other temporary materials let the fire grow quickly.
• Poor escape routes. Exits were inadequate, and two adjoining venues shared a confusing escape environment.
• Weak fire safety. The establishments were found to fall short of fire safety rules, including on exits, alarms and storage of flammable material.
• Inspections that missed the problems. Different licensing departments held separate pieces of information, and nobody compared what was actually built on the terrace with the approved plans.
• Crowding. High footfall late at night made evacuation slower and more chaotic.

What followed

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai set up an enquiry committee to examine permissions, alterations, inspections and enforcement. The police booked the owners and staff of the restaurants, the owners of the compound and municipal officials. In the weeks after the fire, the city’s authorities inspected restaurants and other establishments, and acted against unauthorised structures and fire-safety violations.

In November 2020, a Mumbai sessions court discharged the two owners of the compound, who had argued they had no connection to the fire. The same court rejected the discharge pleas of the owners of the pub and restaurant, municipal officials and the other accused, who were to face charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act. We could not find a verdict in reliable reporting. Until we can, treat the case as still before the courts.

Lessons for restaurants, pubs and banquet halls

• Every change needs approval and a fresh fire check. Covering a terrace, adding a mezzanine or putting up partitions changes the fire risk. Get it approved and reassessed before opening.
• Keep décor non-combustible. Avoid bamboo, dry grass, thermocol, foam and loose fabric, especially on ceilings and near kitchens and hookah counters.
• Keep two clear, signposted ways out. Exits must be wide enough for the crowd, lit, unlocked and never used for storage.
• Train staff to lead guests out. On every shift, someone should know how to raise the alarm, stop the music, switch on the lights and guide people to the exits, not to the toilets.
• Do not overcrowd. Stick to the number of people your exits can safely handle.
• Authorities must join up. Health, building, licensing and fire departments need to share information and inspect what is actually there, not just the papers.

When you go out

When you walk into a restaurant, pub or banquet hall, take ten seconds to spot the exit you came in by and a second one. If a fire alarm sounds or you see smoke, leave at once, towards the exit and down the stairs. Do not hide in a washroom or a closed room. That is the one place smoke will find you and rescuers may not.

Latest update (16 October 2026)

In April 2026 the Bombay High Court dismissed the BMC’s long-delayed applications to revive about 26 old appeals over illegal construction, which the BMC had sought to reopen after the Kamala Mills fire. Justice Jitendra Jain called the reasons for the delay very shocking, directed action against the officers responsible and their superiors, ordered disciplinary inquiries started in 2018 to be finished within four months, and allowed the BMC to carry out fresh inspections (Free Press Journal).

This order concerns civic action on illegal construction, not the criminal trial. We found no verdict in the criminal case by 16 October 2026.

More on Mumbai: see our Mumbai fire and emergency safety guide for fire brigade numbers, every fire station and the local risks to know.