Two people, including a fire brigade official, were killed and two others were injured during a firefighting operation at the Thane Gaondevi market fire, officials said on Thursday.
They said that a major fire broke out early on Wednesday at the Gaondevi vegetable market area in Maharashtra`s Thane, causing widespread damage.
A large emergency response from fire and civic authorities. The situation was brought under control by Thursday afternoon, the officials said.
The fire reportedly started around 3:30 am at the Gaondevi market. After receiving the alert, fire brigade teams rushed to the spot along with the disaster management department, Mahavitaran staff, and Naupada police.
Firefighters deployed three fire engines, a water tanker, two rescue vehicles, and additional emergency response teams to control the blaze.
After several hours of continuous efforts, the fire was brought under control around 12:30 pm. Cooling operations are currently underway, while cleaning work is expected to begin from Friday.
The exact cause of the fire was yet to be confirmed, and an investigation is in progress, said the officials.
Fire officer dies while fighting blaze
The Station Officer Sagar Surya Shinde of the fire department lost his life while attempting to douse the flames. His mortal remains were brought to the Nitin Company Fire Station, where civic leaders and officials paid their respects.
Fire departments from Thane, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, and Kalyan-Dombivli also joined in paying tribute to the deceased officer.
A security guard, Kalu Shankar Gadekar (55), also died in the incident. After post-mortem examination, his body was sent to his native village in Pune district in Maharashtra.
Senior officials visit site
Several senior civic and political leaders visited the site and reviewed the situation, including the Mayor, MPs, MLAs, Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, and other officials. Local representatives and civic officers were also present during the inspection.
Firefighter injured during operation
Two fire brigade personnel, Sujit Pashte (45) and Sameer Jadhav (40), were injured while tackling the blaze. They were treated at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital. The Thane Mayor also visited the hospital to check on their condition and discussed their treatment with medical officials.
The Thane civic bday expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and praised the bravery of the fire personnel involved in the operation.
