Fire Near Mumbai Harbour Line Tracks Halts Trains for 3 Hours, No Injuries Reported

A sudden, violent fire tore through the tightly packed shanties of Dharavi on Saturday, November 22, 2025, sending thick black smoke billowing over the Harbour line railway tracks between Bandra and Mahim. The blaze, which erupted around 12:15 p.m. near the Navrang Compound on the 60-foot road, forced Western Railway to cut power to overhead lines and suspend all local train services for more than three hours — a critical disruption in a city that moves on its rails. By 3:40 p.m., the fire was fully extinguished. Miraculously, no one was hurt. But the damage? It was devastating.

How a Cooking Cylinder Ignited Chaos

Eyewitnesses described a scene of sudden panic. Ashraf Shaikh, who lives in the last untouched gala along the railway edge, recalled hearing two sharp blasts — then flames leaping from a ground-plus-one building. "It started on the first floor," he said. "People were cooking lunch. The ground floor? Waste sorting, drug users sleeping, all of it packed together like sardines." The structure, built with flammable materials and crammed with gas cylinders, became a tinderbox. Within minutes, the fire jumped to adjacent homes and small shops, some of which stored plastics, fabrics, and chemicals. The explosions were loud enough to be heard blocks away. "You could feel the heat even from the train platform," said a commuter waiting at Bandra station.

Firefighting Response: Eight Engines, No Time to Waste

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Fire Brigade responded with eight fire engines and ten jetties — a massive deployment for a slum fire. Senior officials arrived within 12 minutes, but narrow alleys and crumbling infrastructure slowed progress. Firefighters had to manually drag hoses through mazes of corrugated tin and makeshift staircases. "It’s not like fighting a building fire," said one firefighter, speaking off-record. "Here, you’re dodging gas cylinders, live wires, and people running in all directions. We had to cut power before we could even get close." The delay in reaching the core of the blaze meant the fire burned for over three hours before being fully contained.

Railway Disruption: A City Comes to a Standstill

For Mumbai, where over 7.5 million people rely on suburban trains daily, even a short halt is catastrophic. Services between Bandra and Mahim were suspended immediately. The ripple effects were immediate: Western Railway imposed speed restrictions on adjacent lines, slowing down express trains heading to Andheri and Churchgate. Commuters who normally transferred between Harbour and Western lines found themselves stranded. Many walked onto the tracks to reach functioning sections — a dangerous but common sight during such disruptions. Service resumed partially at 2:11 p.m. with trains crawling at 10 kmph. Full normalcy didn’t return until 3:34 p.m. for the down line, and 3:40 p.m. for the up line.

Why This Keeps Happening

This wasn’t an isolated incident. In the past five years, at least seven fires have broken out in Dharavi’s informal settlements adjacent to railway lines. Each time, the same pattern: gas cylinders, overloaded electrical wiring, and no firebreaks. The BMC has repeatedly flagged these zones as high-risk, but relocation efforts have stalled due to bureaucratic delays and lack of affordable housing. Meanwhile, the railway authority has limited power to enforce safety standards on private, unregistered structures. "We disconnect power when fires happen," said a Western Railway spokesperson. "But we can’t go in and remove gas cylinders. That’s not our jurisdiction."

Losses and Lingering Questions

Initial estimates from Hindustan Times put property damage at "lakhs of rupees" — roughly $2.3 million — with over a dozen homes and small businesses destroyed. No deaths. No injuries. That’s the miracle. But the human cost? Unmeasured. Families lost everything: savings kept in cash, tools for tailoring, stock for street vendors, even photos of loved ones. The BMC has promised a survey to assess losses and provide temporary relief, but no timeline has been given. The cause remains under investigation, though the gas cylinder theory is the strongest lead.

What Comes Next?

Local leaders are calling for emergency safety audits along all railway corridors in Dharavi. Activists are demanding the implementation of a 2019 BMC-approved fire safety code for slums — a document gathering dust on a shelf. Meanwhile, commuters are left wondering: how many more fires will it take before something changes? The railway system can’t function without these neighborhoods. But these neighborhoods can’t survive without the railway either. It’s a cycle of dependence and danger — and right now, the balance is tipping toward disaster.