Navi Mumbai: Six persons, including a minor girl, sustained minor burn injuries after a major fire broke out at a four-storeyed building, Kuber CHS, in Sector 21, Ghansoli, on Saturday around 8 pm.
Injured Identified
The injured have been identified as Aisha Sayyed, 10, daughter of flat owner Parveen Sayyad from flat 203, who was admitted to NMMC Hospital in Vashi. Other injured include tenants Vishal Jagtap, 32, and his spouse Ankita, 29; another couple, Avinash Yashwantrao, 39, and Aavishka, 38; and a housemaid, Kaushalya Pimpale, 55. All sustained minor burn injuries to their limbs, especially palms and soles, as they hurriedly escaped using the staircase. The Yashwantrao couple also suffered mild suffocation due to smoke and are admitted to Indravati Hospital in Airoli, while the Jagtap couple and Pimpale are at Basil Hospital in Koparkhairane, informed Amar Gaikwad, fire officer at Koparkhairane.
Firefighting Operation
Gaikwad said, "Upon receiving the fire call at 8.15 pm, our firefighters with a fire engine reached the building at 8.21 pm. The fire started at an apartment on the second floor around 8 pm and quickly spread to two apartments on the third and fourth floors. Three apartments on the second, third and fourth floors were completely charred, while doors of adjacent flats on three floors were damaged. Some flat owners and tenants panicked and locked themselves inside. Firefighters had to break open five flats locked from inside to rescue family members. As the fire raged, fire tenders were summoned from Airoli, Vashi and Rabale MIDC fire stations. A total of 15 residents trapped in the smoke-filled building were rescued. The fire was extinguished after two hours around 10.30 pm, followed by a 30-minute cooling operation."
Cause and Aftermath
Prima facie, the cause of the fire appears to be a short circuit in the second-floor flat, which is yet to be ascertained. NMMC chief fire officer visited the injured patients at three hospitals on Sunday, and their condition was reported stable by doctors.
