2 weeks Ago
1 2 Pune: Nearly 92 hutments were gutted in a massive fire in the densely populated Dr Babasaheb Ambedkarnagar slums near Sundarbai Marathi School in Chandannagar, around 5am on Tuesday. Two men escaped with minor burn injuries in the incident. Fire brigade chief officer Devendra Potphode told TOI, "Local residents claimed the blaze was either triggered by the explosion of a domestic LPG cylinder or due to a short circuit in one of the hutments.
The flames spread rapidly in the crowded hutments, creating panic among residents. At least 15 cylinders exploded one after another because of the intense heat of the fire. Two motorcycles were destroyed.
" A fire tender reached the slums within seven minutes of receiving information about the blaze from residents. On assessing the situation, 10 additional fire tenders and four water tankers were pressed into service to gain control of the flames. Potphode said local residents and volunteers played a crucial role in assisting the fire brigade.
They helped evacuate nearby residents and safely removed nearly 100 LPG cylinders from the vicinity to prevent further explosions. The firefighters faced challenges due to narrow access roads, hindering the timely arrival of fire tenders. "However, the fire was brought under control in 90 minutes and doused completely without further casualties," added Potphode.
Local resident Deepak Sathe told TOI, "Over 3,000 people reside in around 800 hutments here. The fire broke out at a central point of the slums, prompting MSEDCL to switch off the power supply. Fire teams faced hurdles in entering the as interior roads were either encroached upon by tin sheds or blocked by drums used for storing water.
However, they eventually doused the flames." Blaze destroys old wada in Budhwar Peth Elsewhere, a major fire broke out in an old two-storeyed wooden wada near Shrimati Laxmibai Dagadusheth Halwai Datta Temple in Budhwar Peth around 1am on Wednesday. Two shops on the ground floor of the building were gutted.
No one was injured. Chief fire officer Devendra Potphode said 10 fire tenders were pressed into service to gain control over the fire, which broke out on the second floor of the wada. "Our personnel gained access to the Kaka Halwai Sweet Mart nearby and used ladders from the roadside to spray water from all sides onto the structure.
This brought the fire under control and doused the flames completely," he said, adding that around 10 residents staying in the wada evacuated the premises..
