Thane Gaondevi market fire brought under control; Mayor pays tribute to deceased

Firefighting operations underway at Thane (Pic/Anushree Gaikwad)

A major fire broke out at the Gaondevi Vegetabel Market in Thane at around 3:30 am on Wednesday, prompting a swift emergency response from multiple civic and disaster management agencies. As per the civic body, the fire has now been extinguished, and the situation has been brought under control, with cooling operations currently underway to prevent any possibility of re-ignition.

As per the official statement from the civic body, fire brigade personnel immediately rushed to the spot after receiving information about the blaze. Teams from the Emergency Department, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), and Naupada Police Station also joined the rescue and firefighting efforts.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and an investigation has been initiated by the concerned authorities. Officials confirmed that cleaning operations at the site will begin on Friday after completion of safety assessments.

Station Officer Sagar Suryakant Shinde lost his life while fighting the fire. His mortal remains were brought to the Nitin Company Fire Station, where civic leaders, police officials, and fire brigade personnel paid their last respects.

Fire services from Thane, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, and Kulgaon-Badlapur also participated in paying homage to the fallen fire officer.

Senior officials visit the site

Thane Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar, MP Naresh Mhaske, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Deputy Mayor Krishna Patil, and several other senior civic officials visited the incident site to review the situation and coordinate relief measures.

Additional Commissioners Sandeep Malvi and Prashant Rode; Deputy Commissioner G.G. Godepure; along with local corporators and former civic representatives, were also present during the inspection.

Thane Mayor pays tribute to martyr Fire Officer Sagar Shinde

Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar, MLA Jitendra Awhad, Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Deputy Mayor Krishna Patil, Leader of the House Hanumant Jagdale, and Leader of the Opposition Ashraf ‘Shanu' Pathan, along with other officials and leaders, paid tribute to the security guard Kalu Shankar Gadekar (55).

Mayor Pimpalolkar also met the bereaved family of the deceased officer and expressed condolences to his mother, Jayshree Shinde, and wife, Madhuri Shinde.

The mortal remains of security guard Kalu Shankar Gadekar (55), who also lost his life in the incident, were sent to his native village, Gadekarwadi in Ambegaon taluka, Pune district, after a post-mortem examination.