In a heart-wrenching incident, three laborers who were sleeping in the attic at Rewal Siddh Hotel in Pune's Market Yard lost their lives due to a fire on Tuesday. The unfortunate event occurred at midnight near Gate Number One. Despite efforts by the fire brigade, two workers were found dead at the scene, while another worker succumbed to injuries during treatment on Tuesday afternoon.
The deceased have been identified as Shashikant Sonba Gadappa (28, Solapur), Sandeep (full name unknown), and Munna Motilal Rathod (37, Nanded).
Shutter of the shop was closed
According to Senior Police Inspector Angha Deshpande of Market Yard Police Station, the hotel owner had recently employed Munna and Sandeep. After finishing their work of cleaning the hotel, the three workers slept in the attic. In the early hours of the morning, they noticed smoke coming from the kitchen, which quickly turned into a sudden fire. Despite their attempts to escape, they were unable to open the locked shutters due to the intense heat.
Upon witnessing the smoke, a security guard from the Agriculture Produce Market Committee immediately informed the police. Fire brigade personnel were called to the scene, along with the hotel owner. The workers trapped inside screamed for help, but due to the swelling and heat, the shutters couldn't be opened by the owner or the police until the fire brigade arrived.
When the firemen finally broke the shutters, Shashikant and Sandeep were found dead, while Munna passed away later during treatment. The severity of the fire and smoke caused them to lose consciousness near a water tap in an attempt to save themselves. The victims suffered approximately 80% burns, leading to their tragic demise from burns and suffocation.
Preliminary investigation highlights cylinder leak
Fire officials stated that they received responses from the trapped workers until they managed to open the shutters. However, by the time they gained access, the workers had retreated to the attic, leaving the water tap running. The preliminary investigation suggests that a cylinder leak may have been the cause of the fire, as three out of four cylinders were found to be leaking.
Fire officers Gajanan Pathrudkar, Pradip Khedekar, Sunil Naiknaware, Tandel Manish Bomble, Mangesh Parbane, and firefighters Digambar Bandivadekar, Chandrakant Gawde, and Azim Shaikh were involved in the rescue operation.
