120809 10 rescued from Tardeo blaze, 1 critical
India Aug 08 2012 “Building” “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
Web Source: The Times of India
Date: 10 August, 2012
Country: India
10 rescued from Tardeo blaze, 1 critical
Updated: 2012-08-10-06:14
MUMBAI: The island city witnessed a major blaze for the second time in less than two months when a fire broke out in a 10-storey commercial building in Tardeo on Thursday evening.
Ten people who were trapped on the ninth floor were rescued in dramatic fashion. One of them, Nandkishore Ghagre (40), was admitted to the trauma ward of Nair Hospital due to inhalation of fumes. Doctors said he had been put on ventilator.
Six others, who complained of suffocation, were also taken to the hospital and discharged after treatment. They were identified as Shoaib Sheikh (24), Ajit Siddiqui (28), Ajinkya Bagwe (23), Ashwini Mahadik (20), Sonali Desai (22) and Poonam Shinde (24).
On June 21, a fire broke out at Mantralaya in south Mumbai, killing five people.
Thursday’s fire, said officials, started in an office on the ninth floor of the building. The exact source of the blaze could be ascertained only after a probe, they added.
Moments after detecting the fire, members of the managing committee of the building’s cooperative society rushed to offices on each floor, asking the occupants to immediately vacate the building.
The fire brigade got a call at 5.20pm and its personnel reached the spot in 13 minutes. Eight fire engines and four water tankers were deployed to douse the flames. It took the firefighters about 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control and rescue those trapped inside.
“There were no casualties thanks to the presence of mind of the committee members,” said Premal Gandhi (48), whose office is on the eighth floor.
“The fire started in unit H-1 (Gora Gandhi) on the ninth floor. The air conditioning unit of the office had collapsed. All office equipment, including fax machines, and records were gutted. Four people were rescued with the help of a turntable ladder and six brought down using the staircase. The smoke spread to the 10th floor and those trapped inside complained of suffocation,” said Suhas Joshi, chief fire officer.
“We are waiting for the fire brigade’s report. We have followed all safety norms,” said Kiran Mehta, a member.