Missing Dineshwar Domah : four days’ anguish in desperate search

A fire broke out on Sunday 12th November around 5pm at the warehouse of Shoprite Hypermarket at Trianon Shopping Park. Summoned to the scene, fire fighters from Quatres Bornes and Curepipe tried to contain the blaze which had spread further. Support was also sought from the Special Support Unit and the Special Mobile Force. While some employees managed to escape, witnesses had revealed that a man was trapped inside the warehouse. An ambulance also came on site.

The Chief Fire Officer, Dorsamy Ayacooty, speaking live on the night news on the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), confirmed that an employee was working in the warehouse when the fire broke and that he was missing. As curious onlookers had also gathered at the scene, the Chief Fire Officer appealed to the public to stay away due to the toxic smoke. However tension mounted as people complained about the time fire fighters took to get the missing person out of the warehouse. The police had to calm down the heated spirits.

In fact, the thick, heavy smoke emanating complicated the fire fighter’s efforts to find the missing employee. “It's hard to control the flames because the warehouse is really compact. In addition, there are several products inside, which are causing a release of smoke,” explained Dorsamy Ayacoutee. At 9.30pm on Sunday, the employee was still missing. Resident of Palma, Dineshwar Domah, aged 24, worked at both Shoprite’s warehouse and hypermarket. His family rushed to the scene when they heard the news.

The Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands, Mahen Jhugroo, also arrived at the scene. “We must review the security standards of warehouses,” uttered the Minister. Given the gravity of the situation, additional fire fighting teams had to be mobilised. However, the lack of adequate equipment also complicated the task of the fire fighters. They had to seek help from employees at the scene to know where to the fireplaces (foyers d’incendie) were situated inside the warehouse. Hours later, the fire fighters got hold of the 500m2 plan of the warehouse.

It was only 12 hours after the fire broke that fire fighters confirmed that they had successfully contained three of the four fireplaces inside the warehouse. The management of Trianon Shopping Park announced on Monday that all shops will remain closed until further notice. The fourth fireplace was, however, still not contained.

The family members of Dineshwar Domah, who did not leave the place, were still waiting for responses from the authorities on Monday morning. Sixteen hours after the fire outbreak, the Assistant Commissioner A. K. Dip said that there was no hope in finding the young man alive.

The Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands was on site again on Monday to take note of the situation. “Yesterday when I came, police officers and those of the Fire Services were already on the scene, but there was no coordination,” said the Minister. According to Mahen Jhugoo, there needs to be better coordination between police units and fire fighters. “There is the need for a protocol between the police and the fire fighters,” he uttered. He also talked about the imminent purchase of 20 trucks on behalf of the Fire Services. “There were always complaints regarding a lack of fire trucks. We had the budget to buy 20. We want to have an additional 20 by next year,” stated the Minister.

In a press conference on Monday, Chief Fire Officer, Assistant Dorsamy Ayacouty, explained that the fire also broke and spread in the Grocery Stock. He also stated that the fourth fire place was still on and fire fighters were at work to control the flames. At 7pm, Dorsamy Ayacouty announced in another press conference that the fire was contained at 80%. On Tuesday, fire fighters had increased their capabilities in order to contain the fire.

At least sixty other fire fighters from various stations participated in the operations, carrying out relays. The fire soldiers used twelve jets and increased their water supply. “The heat is extreme and we are progressing with reduced visibility. There was lateral and vertical ventilation and three openings were made on the roof,” explained Dorsamy Ayacooty, who was also on-site for the operations.

It was at 2pm on Tuesday that fire fighters were able to extinguish the fourth fire place. However, the body of Dineshwar Doma was still missing 44 hours after the fire broke. “We started a mucking exercise. There are cardboard boxes that partly obstructed access to the warehouse,” added the Acting Chief Fire Officer. The warehouse has four cold rooms. “The intensity of the fire (1,800 ° C to 2,000 ° C) damaged the mechanisms of these cold chambers,” he explained. However, the search of the missing employee in these rooms was unsuccessful. At 8pm, several fire fighters went to the site to remove the remaining debris.

Officers of the Special Mobile Force, those of the Police Action Group of Mauritius (GIPM) and fire fighters have formed several teams in order to continue the mucking exercise in the warehouse. The exercise lasted several hours involving 62 firemen and 50 SMF soldiers in the search and rescue operations. At 4:45 pm on Wednesday, 250 tonnes of debris were removed. However the exercise was suspended on Wednesday evening and resumed on Thursday.

Police Investigation is ongoing

Investigations by the Central Investigation Division Rose-Hill and the unit of the Fire Investigation Unit were initiated to find the origin of this disaster. Police interrogated various witnesses. The key witness named Darsan, employee at Shoprite’s warehouse, said that he was the one who found the fire.

“It's the plastic packaging used for food that caught fire first. Fano, a security officer, Fezal and I tried to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers,” he told the police. However, as he added, “a suspended ceiling had collapsed. It was at that moment that the flames spread, causing thick black smoke. Given the gravity of things, he realized that he could not overcome the flames. Darsan said that he set off the alarm and began screaming at customers and colleagues to clear the premises.

“At first, we were not in a state of panic. This is because we have received training in case of fire. We tried to fight the fire, but when the thick black smoke started to come out of the warehouse, that's where we left while adopting an emergency evacuation plan. All employees have left the scene unharmed,” stated Darsan.

Interrogated about the missing man Dineshwar Domah, this witness said he only saw him on Sunday morning. “It was when we were doing the call back exercise that we realized that Dineshwar Domah was missing. We were in the refrigerated section while he was in the food section of the warehouse,” says Darsan at the Daily Defeat.

Danil Ismael – Owner of Trianon Shopping Park : “My heart broke when I heard about the missing young man”

Danil Ismaël, owner of the Trianon Shopping Park, arrived in Mauritius on Tuesday, accompanied by his brother Rishad. As soon as he got off the plane, he headed to the disturbing scene. “It’s hard to look at this situation,” he said. Danil Ismael argued that the material damage caused by the fire were secondary to him.

“My thoughts are with the missing man and his family. My family and I are upset and saddened by the disappearance of this young man. I met his parents, in the car, at the entrance to the depot. It broke my heart, being a father myself. His life is priceless,” he stated. At a crisis committee meeting on Wednesday, Dani Ismael again said, “We have to find this employee no matter what state he is in.”