MUMBAI, Nov. 10 -- A 16-year-old boy died after an explosion involving firecrackers triggered the collapse of a shop's slab during a fire in Mumbai's Malad West area on Monday night, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Mumbai Fire Brigade, the incident occurred around 9.56 pm on November 9 at a ground-floor shop near Abdul Hamid Marg in the Malvani locality.

The deceased was identified as Shanwaz Niyaz Khan, who sustained 100 per cent burn injuries in the incident.

Fire brigade officials said the blaze engulfed an area measuring approximately 20 feet by 30 feet inside the shop, where firecrackers, electrical wiring and other electrical installations were present.

As the fire spread, firecrackers stored inside the premises exploded, causing the shop's slab to collapse. The explosion and subsequent structural collapse complicated rescue operations.

The boy was initially reported missing following the incident. During the search operation, emergency personnel discovered his charred body inside the shop.

According to information provided by the Chief Medical Officer of BDBA Hospital in Kandivali, the teenager had suffered 100 per cent burns and was declared brought dead.

His body was transported from the incident site to the BMC's Shatabdi Hospital in a private ambulance.

Firefighters rushed to the location after receiving information about the blaze and launched operations to prevent it from spreading to adjoining structures.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade said the fire was completely extinguished by 10.36 pm, approximately 40 minutes after it was first reported.

Personnel from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, local police, the electricity distribution company, the 108 ambulance service and BMC ward staff were deployed at the scene to coordinate firefighting, rescue and emergency response operations.

Officials said the fire was confined to the shop and the materials stored inside it. The exact cause of the initial blaze has not yet been established.

The incident has raised concerns over fire safety in commercial establishments storing firecrackers, particularly during the festive season when the handling and sale of such materials increase.

Authorities are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the fire and the subsequent explosion to determine whether safety requirements were being followed at the premises.

The tragedy comes amid a series of fire-related incidents reported in Mumbai during the Diwali period.

Earlier, on Sunday, a fire broke out on the 17th floor of a 32-storey residential building in the Lokhandwala area of Andheri West. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, and no casualties or injuries were reported.

The Malad incident, however, resulted in the death of the teenager after the firecracker explosions caused the shop's slab to collapse, leaving him trapped inside the premises.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.