13 August,2026 08:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika Gondhalekar
Firefighters at the site after fire broke out in a 12-storey residential building in Vile Parle, killing a child and a woman, and injuring six others. Pic/PTI
When Tejas Dedhia heard from friends that a major fire had broken out near his home in Vile Parle on Tuesday night, he rushed to the spot. Having lived nearby and been involved in social work in the area, Dedhia and his friends reached the building before the fire officials.
"We live close by, so we reached even before the fire officials arrived. When we got there, the smoke was already very thick. We tried to break open the door, but it was jammed because of the smoke," Dedhia told mid-day. As the situation inside the building worsened, Dedhia and his friends began helping residents evacuate. The group first focused on elderly residents while the lift was still operational.
"We first started evacuating the senior citizens while the lift was working. We were trying to get as many people out as possible. The situation was horrible, and there was so much smoke that it was difficult to see or breathe," he recalled.
By then, fire officials had arrived and taken charge of the rescue operation. During the operation, a girl and a baby were brought out of the building.
"Their maid Ankita and a small baby were unconscious, but they were breathing. As soon as the fire officials rescued them, we immediately focused on getting them to hospital," said Dedhia.
Knowing that Nanavati Hospital was around five minutes away, Dedhia, his friends and a fire official rushed the two victims there.
"We took them to Nanavati Hospital because it was just five minutes away. At that moment, the only thing on our minds was to get them medical attention as quickly as possible," he said.
What began as a late-night alert from friends quickly turned into a rescue effort for Dedhia and his friends. "The smoke was extremely thick, and the situation was horrible. We just wanted to help whoever we could and get them out safely," he said.
