Mumbai fire: How a 10-year-old girl helped neighbours escape Crystal Tower blaze

Zain Sadawarte. Pic/Bipin Kokate

When everyone around her was running helter-skelter to escape the fire raging in the Crystal Tower on Wednesday, Zain Sadawarte, all of 10, displayed remarkable courage and calmness in safely guiding them away from the chaos. Through the disaster management knowledge she'd gained in school workshops and through extensive reading, the 16th floor resident asked everyone to go towards the balcony, to ensure a faster and better evacuation process.

Before all of this happened, Zain was peacefully asleep around 8.30 am, as it was a school holiday. But the rest of her building was not in such a peaceful state. "People were shouting and there was chaos, unlike the kind one would expect at this hour of the day. In panic, I opened the main door, and a gust of smoke just blew into my face; I shut the door immediately," said Jayashree, Zain's mother, who was left with bruises on her cheeks because of the smoke.

Jayshree Patil, Zain's mother

Swiftly taking charge
"I'd just woken up Zain and there was chaos everywhere with everyone running helter-skelter to escape. But, she took an immensely composed approach to the situation. I was stunned seeing her swiftly take charge, first by calming me down by explaining the importance of remaining composed in order to think straight and be safe," said Jayashree Patil, who is a lawyer, adding that their family, as well as their neighbours, then followed Zain's instructions, which helped them all escape unhurt.

Zain told mid-day how she knew what to do, "There was a workshop on fire-fighting at school, and I'd done major reading on how to deal with disastrous conditions. A fire is a major disaster and there are prescribed ways to stay safe in such a situation. The stairwell of the building was full of smoke, with very low visibility. There was no way we could escape through it. After all, we were on the top floor of the building."

Gone with the windows
"The use of the elevator was a complete no-no in this situation, so I warned everyone against it. There was the option of running to the terrace, but we knew that it would be locked. So the best option was to remain in the balcony or near the windows from where the firefighters can easily spot us for the rescue operation. I guided everyone towards the windows," said Zain, who was just as collected while talking to different media representatives.

She added, "The other important thing was to avoid inhaling excessive carbon emitting from the smoke. It is prescribed in such conditions to wet clothes with water and hold them against one's nose and mouth and breathe through it. This ensures we don't inhale a lot of that carbon, which can cause respiratory issues and suffocation."

Also Read: Mumbai fire: Open ducts, lack of fire safety made blaze worse in Parel high rise

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates