Firefighter, security guard killed in massive blaze at Thane market

Thane- A devastating fire that broke out at a market complex in Maharashtra’s Thane early Thursday morning claimed the lives of a firefighter and a security guard, while two other fire personnel suffered severe burn injuries, officials said.

According to the Thane Municipal Corporation, the fire erupted around 3:45 a.m. at the Gamdevi Vegetable Market building on Gokhale Road in the Naupada area.

Officials said the blaze initially went unnoticed as most residents in the locality were asleep. The fire gradually spread through the market premises, which housed vegetable vendors as well as several clothing shops.

Residents alerted authorities after noticing thick smoke and massive flames rising from the building, triggering panic in the surrounding area.

Following the alert, six fire engines were rushed to the spot and firefighting operations began immediately. During the rescue and containment efforts, two people lost their lives.

The deceased were identified as Sagar Shinde and Kalu Shankar Gadekar. Officials said Shinde was serving as a Station Officer with the Thane Fire Brigade, while Gadekar worked as a security guard for the civic body.

Two other fire department personnel — Sujit Pashte and Sameer Jadhav — sustained serious burn injuries during the operation.

Both injured personnel have been admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital and are currently undergoing treatment, officials added.

Firefighters continued cooling and containment operations for several hours to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby structures.

Authorities have not yet determined the exact cause of the fire, and an investigation is underway.

With inputs from IANS