Short circuit blaze ignites sparks of bravery in Bhiwandi residents

Residents of Rahat Manzil in Bhiwandi woke up engulfed in fire and smoke yesterday morning Around 200 residents of the building who were stuck in the afire premises made their way to the building terrace where firemen and other locals safely rescued them Around six people were reported injured in the incident including two fire officials and a local who helped in the rescue operationAlso Read Fire in Bhiwandi building brought under control no casualties reportedThe fire started at around 630 am on the ground floor due to a short circuit Around 7 am water tankers and more than 10 fire engines with other private tankers from Thane Kalyan and Ulhasnagar fire stations reached the spot for the rescue operation PicsDatta KumbharThe fire broke out at Rahat Manzil in Kasimpura Nagaon in Bhiwandi ldquoRahat Manzil is a ground plus fourstorey building which houses a power loom on the ground floor with its office on the first floor The building has a total of 72 rooms from which 63 on the second third and fourth floors were occupied by around 185 residentsLocals from the area also helped fire officials in the operationldquoWe suspect the fire occurred due to a short circuit and later the huge quantity of clothes kept on the first floor caught fire trapping the residents Most of them were safely rescued from the building without any injuriesrdquo said Vaishali Lambhate Tehsildar BhiwandiShort circuitThe fire started at around 630 am on the ground floor due to a short circuit Around 7 am water tankers and more than 10 fire engines with other private tankers from Thane Kalyan and Ulhasnagar fire stations reached the spot for the rescue operation ldquoWithin half an hour we rescued four people and later till 11 am we rescued around 50 others who were stuck on the terrace of the building More than 100 people were saved from the terrace with the help of hydraulic staircaserdquo said Datta Salvi Chief Fire Officer of the Bhiwandi fire stationSalvi added ldquoThe narrow lanes adjoining the building resulted in problems during the rescue operation After the fire broke out most of the residents who got to know about it earlier came out through the staircase while others who were trapped in the smoke went on the terrace for safetyrdquo The rescue operation was completed by 1130 amFire officials Kantilal Gujar and Kamlakar Tanat are among the six people injured in the fire They suffocated in the smoke resulting from the blaze Shakila Khan a resident fell unconscious because of the smoke Locals Mohammed Yasin Qureshi Afaq Ansari and Guddu who were helping in the fire were injured when the shutter they were standing on to throw the shutter key gave way ldquoAll of them were shifted to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment and were later dischargedrdquo said a fire officialDCP saysSudhir Dabhade Deputy Commissioner of Police Bhiwandi said ldquoIt was a major fire The locals supported the fire officials a lot in the rescue operation Our policemen were controlling the mob During the investigation we found that the owner builder Saeed Ansari had made a power loom in the building We suspect his negligence to be the cause and are further investigating the matterrdquo He added ldquoAlso he kept inflammable substance on the first floor of the building which was dangerous and resulted in the huge fire We will register a case against him accordinglyrdquoIsrar Ansari 24 a resident said ldquoA lack of water crisis resulted in the fire rising again and again The oil in clothes also added to the fire The fire first was taken under control within an hour but due to lack of water it started again We appeal to the authorities to accommodate the residents as early as possiblerdquo