20190722 Brigade’s best machines, bravest hearts save the day
India Jul 22 2019 “Building” “Other bldg.”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Brigade’s best machines, bravest hearts save the day
Updated: 2019–07–23
MUMBAI: The fire brigade deployed their best machinery and the bravest personnel to rescue scores of people stranded in the nine-storey MTNL telephone exchange off S V Road in Bandra (W), where fire erupted on Monday.
About 175 officers and men were involved in an operation that the fire brigade called one of the biggest and most successful in recent times. More than 25 units of equipment, including fire engines, special hydraulic ladders, jumbo water tankers, a firefighting robot, rescue vans, and breathing set vans, were pressed into service, said chief fire officer PS Rahangdale.
Firefighting was tough given the specifics of the blaze—though the fire was largely confined to the building’s third and fourth floors, smoke in the stairwell made escape from the upper floors impossible, forcing most of the upper floor occupants to head for the terrace. To reach the stranded people without putting their own lives at risk, firefighters had to put on heavy fireproof attire. “Each attire, including breathing apparatus, weighed 24kg. Despite its heavy weight, our firemen went about their job effectively, rescuing people from all sides of the building,” said Rahangdale.
While it is not known how many people were in the building, civic officials said the consequences were limited because the building wasn’t densely occupied at the time. The assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s H west ward, Sharad Ughade, said, “There was no headcount of people within the premises, which was a hindrance. Hence, fire officers broke each and every window to ensure that no one was stranded.” He said some external repairs were going on when the fire brigade reached the site.
Rahangdale declined to comment on the cause of the blaze and said the building’s firefighting system was not functional.
People rushed to the upper floors and the terrace after they realised that it would be impossible for them to go down the staircase, which had become smoke-logged. Borivli resident Smita Kadam, who works on the building’s 8th floor, said, “Thankfully, the fire brigade brought us down safely using a ladder.”
Nevertheless, over 50 people came down the staircase or rushed out from the ground floor. Officials said the fire was confined to the building’s 3rd and 4th floors.
Rahangdale said the cause of the fire needs to be probed. “There were huge switchgears and cables on the upper floors and hence we were moving very carefully in the area,” he said. “This was one of the largest rescue operations as many people were stranded on the higher floors. They were rescued from various sides of the terrace with ladders.”
Web Source: The times of India