20220606 Ahmedabad: Frantic bid to move fails, fire kills paralyzed man
India Jun 06 2022 “Building” “Houses”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Ahmedabad: Frantic bid to move fails, fire kills paralyzed man
Updated: 2022-06-06
AHMEDABAD: A 58-year-old bedridden, paralyzed man was charred to death when a massive fire engulfed his flat on Sunday evening.
The deceased has been identified as Jivan Solanki, a resident of A-16 of Siddhi Flats in Vejalpur. He was alone at home when the fire broke out. He had been bedridden for about one-and-a-half-years after he suffered a stroke. According to the officers of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), the fire erupted at about 5.30pm on Sunday.
“The family had gone out as it was Sunday and Solanki was resting at home. Usually, his family members never left him alone,” said a fire officer. “But on Sunday, they did. As Solanki could not move, he was stuck in the fire and was charred to death.”
When the fire started on the first floor of the apartment complex, other residents rushed out. “The residents, who had not seen Solanki for a long time, might have forgotten about him. Therefore, it did not occur to anybody to check on him,” said an officer of Vejalpur police.
The residents called the fire brigade and a team from Prahladnagar with four fire vehicles including a mini-firefighter, a water tanker, a robotic van, and a car rushed to the spot and began a firefighting operation.
About 30 fire brigade personnel had been deployed. Eventually, they rescued 50 people living on the third floor of the apartment complex, including several women and children. According to preliminary information, it appears that Solanki died even before the firefighters could begin their mission to save people and douse the flames. A team of forensic experts was called in later. “It seems that Solanki had tried to move to save his life. The position of his body shows that he had made a last-ditch effort to evade the deadly flames,” said a fire brigade officer. Vejalpur police have registered a case of accidental death and have begun an investigation. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Web Source: The Times of India