Worker dies after fire breaks out at storage unit in Pune residential building

Representational Image

A worker died after suffering critical burn injuries in a fire that broke out in a storage unit on the ground floor of a residential building in Pune's Kondhwa area on Saturday night, fire officials said.

The blaze erupted around 9 pm at Firdous Apartment in Vetal Nagar, prompting a swift response from the Pune Fire Brigade. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control before it could spread to the upper floors of the six-storey building.

Fire breaks out in ground-floor storage area

According to fire officials, the ground floor of the residential building was being used as a storage space for materials required for painting work.

"The ground floor of the building was being used to store materials required for painting work. There was a fire and heavy smoke when our teams reached the site," a fire official said.

Three fire tenders were rushed to the scene after the incident was reported.

Worker rescued but succumbs to injuries

Firefighters rescued a worker who was trapped inside the smoke-filled storage unit. He was found in critical condition and was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

However, despite medical efforts, the worker succumbed to his injuries.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Irfan Yusuf.

Welding work suspected to have triggered blaze

Preliminary information suggests welding work was underway inside the premises when the fire broke out.

"According to the owner, welding work was being carried out inside the premises. The fire was brought under control in time, and it was prevented from spreading to the upper floors, averting more fatalities," the official said.

Authorities are expected to investigate the exact cause of the fire and determine whether adequate fire safety measures were in place during the welding operation.

Timely response prevents larger tragedy

Officials said the prompt deployment of fire tenders helped contain the blaze to the ground-floor storage area, preventing it from spreading to the residential floors above.

The incident could have resulted in a far greater tragedy had the flames reached the occupied apartments in the building.

(With inputs from PTI)