Guard dies trying to douse fire in Vidyavihar high-rise | Mumbai News – The Times of India
Mumbai: A 43-year-old security guard died while attempting to douse a fire that broke out on the second floor of a 14-storey building at Vidyavihar early on Monday. A security supervisor and two residents sustained injuries.
The guard, Uday Gangan, was found unconscious by firefighters on the second floor. A flat and the lobby on the second floor were gutted, while five other flats on the same floor were damaged. There were shoe racks and a false ceiling in the lobby, which likely aided the spread of the fire. The building has functional firefighting equipment, which was deployed till fire personnel’s arrival. The fire was put out in half an hour.
According to the fire brigade, the blaze, whose cause is under investigation, began in the second floor lobby of Takshshila building in Neelkanth Kingdom Complex around 4.30am and spread to a nearby flat after one of its occupants opened the door. The resident, Jitendra Jain (46), sustained minor injuries but managed to get out and raise an alarm. “We believe because he left the door open, the fire spread inside the flat. A family member, Kamala Jain (73), suffered a minor burn injury,” said a fire official.
Fire personnel rescued 15 residents from the balconies of the second, third and fourth floors. Abhay Gokani, secretary of the housing society, said residents above the fourth floor moved to their balconies, while some went to the refuge area on the eighth floor.
“Gangan went to the second floor with a fire extinguisher. We believe he went to put out the fire, suffered burns and fell down,” said a resident. “We had told him not to go up due to the intense heat,” said Gokani. “Gangan died trying to help us. We will do whatever possible to help his family.”
The security supervisor, Sabhajit Yadav (52), who suffered 30% burns to his hands and face, had accompanied Gangan but managed to get to safety. A senior doctor at Rajawadi Hospital, where he was admitted, said, “We plan on discharging him in a couple of days.” (With inputs from Eshan Kalyanikar)
The guard, Uday Gangan, was found unconscious by firefighters on the second floor. A flat and the lobby on the second floor were gutted, while five other flats on the same floor were damaged. There were shoe racks and a false ceiling in the lobby, which likely aided the spread of the fire. The building has functional firefighting equipment, which was deployed till fire personnel’s arrival. The fire was put out in half an hour.
According to the fire brigade, the blaze, whose cause is under investigation, began in the second floor lobby of Takshshila building in Neelkanth Kingdom Complex around 4.30am and spread to a nearby flat after one of its occupants opened the door. The resident, Jitendra Jain (46), sustained minor injuries but managed to get out and raise an alarm. “We believe because he left the door open, the fire spread inside the flat. A family member, Kamala Jain (73), suffered a minor burn injury,” said a fire official.
Fire personnel rescued 15 residents from the balconies of the second, third and fourth floors. Abhay Gokani, secretary of the housing society, said residents above the fourth floor moved to their balconies, while some went to the refuge area on the eighth floor.
“Gangan went to the second floor with a fire extinguisher. We believe he went to put out the fire, suffered burns and fell down,” said a resident. “We had told him not to go up due to the intense heat,” said Gokani. “Gangan died trying to help us. We will do whatever possible to help his family.”
The security supervisor, Sabhajit Yadav (52), who suffered 30% burns to his hands and face, had accompanied Gangan but managed to get to safety. A senior doctor at Rajawadi Hospital, where he was admitted, said, “We plan on discharging him in a couple of days.” (With inputs from Eshan Kalyanikar)
