MUMBAI: Residents from the neighboring buildings swiftly came to the aid of those whose homes were affected by the Saturday night blaze at Girgaon’s Jethabhai Govindji building.
Reshma Kirtikar, one of the residents, said her family were at dinner when they realised something was amiss. “I stepped out of home and saw flames coming out of the building.I immediately pulled out one of my mother’s sarees and threw it upwards to one of the affected building’s residents, asking him to tie it and come down through the balcony as descending down the stairs might not have been possible as flames had completely covered the building’s entrance,” she said. “The fire brigade also put out a ladder, which helped residents come out of the structure.”
Her brother Sachin said the ground floor had grills which had to be broken by the fire brigade to bring out inhabitants. He pointed to a nearby banquet hall where an event was taking place. “Several attendees from there joined in to assist. It’s worth noting that the Jethabhai Govindji building lacks a gas pipeline, suggesting that the fire may have resulted from a short circuit,” he said.
The building comprises four flats on each floor, with three occupied on the ground floor, four on the first floor, and one on the second floor (its owners live abroad). The Shah family, who lost two members in the blaze, lived on the third floor.
Reshma Kirtikar, one of the residents, said her family were at dinner when they realised something was amiss. “I stepped out of home and saw flames coming out of the building.I immediately pulled out one of my mother’s sarees and threw it upwards to one of the affected building’s residents, asking him to tie it and come down through the balcony as descending down the stairs might not have been possible as flames had completely covered the building’s entrance,” she said. “The fire brigade also put out a ladder, which helped residents come out of the structure.”
Her brother Sachin said the ground floor had grills which had to be broken by the fire brigade to bring out inhabitants. He pointed to a nearby banquet hall where an event was taking place. “Several attendees from there joined in to assist. It’s worth noting that the Jethabhai Govindji building lacks a gas pipeline, suggesting that the fire may have resulted from a short circuit,” he said.
The building comprises four flats on each floor, with three occupied on the ground floor, four on the first floor, and one on the second floor (its owners live abroad). The Shah family, who lost two members in the blaze, lived on the third floor.