As a result, five people died. All five were avoidable deaths.

Who, then, is responsible for these deaths, and for the irretrievable damage caused to the state with the loss of thousands of files?

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This tragedy is a wake-up call for not just the high-ranking officials, but for everybody. Although there are established rules for parking of vehicles — official or otherwise — they are only observed rarely, if ever.

Compare this to any world class city where there are established protocols and practices, which are observed to the tee. While it is admirable that Mumbai has aspirations to become a global business and tourist destination, it cannot hope to achieve this dream if fundamentals such as fire safety are not observed. Indeed, what confidence will anyone have about a city where its most important government building is not safe?

The chief fire officer, in coordination with state government and BMC, must initiate an immediate fire safety audit and implement the findings in all buildings. Only then will lives be saved.