Overview

• The fire broke out early on April 27 on the fourth floor of the heritage Kaiser-I-Hind building, housing the Enforcement Directorate's Mumbai office.
• Firefighting operations lasted nearly 12 hours, involving 12 fire engines, seven jumbo water tankers, and over 50 personnel, with no injuries reported.
• Preliminary assessments confirm the destruction of administrative documents, furniture, and equipment, but key investigation files are intact due to digital backups and court-stored originals.
• Authorities suspect a short circuit caused the fire, and part of the ED office has been relocated to maintain operational continuity during the ongoing probe into the incident.
• The incident has sparked political scrutiny over emergency response and data security, though the state government and ED have assured no disruption to high-profile cases.