Maha: Firefighter, guard killed in Thane vegetable market blaze

As many as 155 stalls were gutted in the fire, which broke out around 3.30 am at the Gamdevi vegetable market complex, located around 100 metres from the Thane railway station.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

A firefighter and a security guard were killed while two other fire personnel were injured after a massive blaze erupted at a vegetable market near Thane railway station in Maharashtra early on Thursday, officials said.

As many as 155 stalls were gutted in the fire, which broke out around 3.30 am at the Gamdevi vegetable market complex, located around 100 metres from the railway station, Thane's Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) chief Yasin Tadvi said.

Fire authorities gave a "brigade call" (situation requiring maximum fire department resources) following the incident, as per an official.

Huge flames and thick smoke rising from the burning stalls triggered panic in the area, according to eyewitnesses.

Distraught vendors stood silently, watching the charred remains of their livelihood.

"A security guard got trapped on the first floor and began suffocating. A fire station officer went upstairs to rescue him, but he also got trapped. Both choked to death due to heavy smoke," Tadvi said.

It was a "major fire" and destroyed the market, which housed vegetable, fruit and clothing stalls, alongside a local municipal ward office, he said.

The deceased have been identified as Thane Municipal Corporation's (TMC) fire station officer Sagar Suryakant Shinde (42) and security guard Kalu Shankar Gadekar (55).

Two other firefighters, Sujit Pashte (45) and Sameer Jadhav (40), sustained injuries. They were admitted to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, where their condition was reported to be stable, a release from the TMC said.

All available fire engines from across the city and the RDMC team were pressed into service to bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters encountered difficulties battling the flames due to the large stock of highly combustible garments stored inside the market stalls, officials said.

The blaze was brought under control by 11.30 am, following which cooling operations were initiated, Tadvi said, adding that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

After the incident, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reviewed the situation and directed TMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao to submit proposals to secure financial aid for the victims' families from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and the state's emergency department.

BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule claimed that the unauthorised presence of garment shops heavily aggravated the fire.

"Had it been restricted to the fruit and vegetable market for which it was originally built, the losses would have been minimal. I have repeatedly pointed out these hazards to the civic body to no avail," he told PTI.

Following an urgent high-level meeting chaired by Rao, the TMC announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased, alongside government jobs on compassionate grounds. The injured will receive Rs 1 lakh each, the civic release said.

Thane MP Naresh Mhaske and Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar attended the meeting.

The panchnama (loss assessment) will be conducted, and all 155 affected stall owners will be rehabilitated at the same location by June 1, following a mandatory structural and fire audit, the release said.

TMC Leader of the House Hanmant Jagdale demanded that a robust fire extinguishing system be installed at the market before rehabilitation, along with positioning two dedicated fire tenders in the central city area.

Commissioner Rao assured a final decision on this within three days.