The Day It Rained Gold In Mumbai

The source of the explosion was a British freighter catching fire at what was then the Victoria Dock of Bombay. The freighter, SS Fort Stikine, had been carrying an assortment of cargo including gold bars and cotton in addition to over 1,400 tonnes of explosive ammunition. Having caught fire, the ship exploded in two giant blasts causing tremors to be recorded as far as Shimla, over 1,700km away, in present-day Himachal Pradesh, and causing death and destruction across the city.

The incident caused widespread damage. The fire enveloped and sank around 11 nearby ships, claimed between 800 and 1,300 lives, including those of 71 firemen who were trying to control the blaze. Burning debris fell upon and set fire to nearby areas which included some of its most advanced commercial areas, as well as crowded slums. Over 80,000 people were recorded to have lost their homes and possessions, while over 50,000 lost their jobs as a result of their employers having been affected.

When the fire was finally brought under control after three long days, the city was left with over 500,000 tonnes of debris engulfing the docks and nearby areas. A team of over 8,000 men worked for seven months to clear the area, though the city has been discovering items ranging from still-intact gold bars to even live explosives from the area ever since.

Mumbai, along with the rest of India, observes Fire Service Week every 14-20 April, in memory of the Bombay explosion and subsequent rescue mission. The city’s fire brigade has built a memorial outside its headquarters in Byculla to honour those fire-fighters whose lives were claimed by the explosion.