MUMBAI, Oct. 15 -- Two women died after a massive fire broke out in a 14-storey residential building in Nalasopara East late on Tuesday night. Around 25 residents were rescued, including a family of four who had climbed onto a ledge between the 12th and 13th floors to escape the flames and smoke, officials said. The fire broke out around 11.30 pm on Tuesday in the B wing of Imperial Heritage on the Nalasopara-Vasai Link Road, and took nearly six hours to extinguish, officials said. Residents alleged that the building's firefighting system was not operational despite repeated complaints to the developer. The deceased were identified as Falguni Shah, 55, and Ashwini Parkar, 58, both residents of the 13th floor. Preliminary findings suggested they died of asphyxiation, officials said. No burn injuries were reported. Fire brigade officials suspect that a short circuit in an electrical meter box on the ground floor triggered further short circuits on the upper floors, eventually causing a fire on the 13th floor. The exact cause is yet to be established. According to residents, the fire brigade was alerted soon after the blaze was spotted. Firefighters, assisted by local residents, evacuated around 25 people, six of whom were hospitalised after inhaling smoke. All six were subsequently discharged. Parkar, who lived alone, was found unconscious in her flat. "Parkar's son stays abroad, and she lived alone. By the time we got to her, she had already passed out," said Aditya Shukla, a resident. Shah, who lived with her husband and son, was found unconscious near the staircase on the 13th floor. Her husband and son survived, but she died while undergoing treatment in hospital, officials said. "Preliminary findings suggest that the women had likely died due to suffocation from smoke. The final cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem reports are received," said Dr Bhakti Chaudhary, medical officer of health at the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC). In a dramatic rescue, firefighters safely evacuated four members of a family who had climbed onto a ledge between the 12th and 13th floors. "They climbed onto the ledge to save themselves from the fire and were stuck there for over half an hour before being rescued," said Lalit Dubey, a resident. VVCMC commissioner Prithviraj BP said several residents had managed to descend safely from the building. Nearby banquet halls and hotels have been made available to provide temporary accommodation to families affected by the incident, he added. Meanwhile, several residents blamed the developer for the alleged failure of the building's firefighting system. They claimed that although they had received possession of their flats in 2022, the developer had yet to hand over the housing society's affairs to its members despite repeated requests. "The firefighting system was put in place, but the builder had not allowed us to make it operational," said Dr Dilip Gupta, a resident of the B wing. Another resident, Tarun Vaishnav, alleged that the building's sprinklers were not functional, its fire extinguishers had expired, and the firefighting pipes were not connected to the water supply. "We have been telling the builder to hand over the society to us so that we can make the fire system operational," he said. Vaishnav also questioned how the fire brigade had granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the building's occupancy certificate if its firefighting system was not functional. When contacted, Rohan More, chief fire officer, said the fire brigade had inspected the premises in 2019 when the Occupancy Certificate was issued for the building. "All the fire safety measures were put in place, but it is for the builder and society members to ensure that they are operational and usable during an emergency like this," he said. The Achole police have registered an accidental death report and are recording statements of residents and witnesses. They are awaiting the fire brigade's report to establish the cause of the blaze. Police said they would also question the developer over the alleged failure to hand over the society's affairs to residents and maintain the firefighting system....