Chief fire officer says in Kandivli fire that killed three people, residents wasted time recording blaze instead of calling fire brigade; call came 30 minutes after fire started
People shooting videos of the fire at Kandivli recently. Pic/Anurag Ahire
Fire brigade officials have made a startling revelation in the Kandivali building fire, where three lives were lost. The first call to the fire brigade came a full 30 minutes after the fire broke out, because, according to fire officials people were busy recording videos to post on social media.
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“People get so engrossed capturing videos for social media platforms, they often forget to first dial for help when a fire breaks out,” stated Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar.
He emphasised, “In the past, we’ve come across 3-4 videos on social media after a fire erupted, even before a single call was made to us. We’ve responded to them immediately without waiting for a call.”
In the case of the Veena Santoor building fire, an unidentified person did call the fire department around 12.22 pm on October 23. However, the fire had broken out before 11.50 am on the first floor of the building. The fire officers received the call at 12.22 pm, dispatched four fire engines at 12:23 pm, and arrived at the scene by 12:34 pm. Remarkably, the fire was extinguished within 3-4 minutes by the firefighters.
In this fire incident, UK resident Glory, her 6-year-old son Joshua, and their full-time caretaker, Rajeshwari Bhartare, 24, lost their lives due to severe burns. Their 40-year-old maid, Lakshmi Burawas, sustained burns of 40-50 per cent and was admitted for treatment at Kasturba Hospital.
An inside source from the fire department disclosed, “We received the fire information more than 30 minutes after the incident began. We suspect that the fire had ignited before 11.50 am. Initially, the residents attempted to extinguish the fire themselves, using extinguishers and even water from hoses, but the fire quickly grew out of control. Some individuals managed to rescue a 98-year-old woman from the flat, but no one informed the fire department.”
Ambulgekar stressed, “The first half-hour is crucial for us to contain the fire. We implore people to inform us immediately if a fire incident occurs, instead of recording videos and posting them on social media.”
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