PANIC gripped the residents of Tailor Lane at Chhaoni in Sadar area after a middle-aged woman was charred to death in a devastating fire that broke out in a three-storeyed commercial-cum-residential building on Thursday morning. Though the building housed a shop and godown of aerosol-based car freshener and illegally stocked firecrackers, it was alleged that the owner had taken no fire safety measures. Quick action by firefighters from Fire and Emergency Services Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation led by Rajendra Uchake, Chief Fire Officer (CFO), saved the lives of people residing in the congested lane. Soon after dousing the flames and preventing the fire from spreading in the adjoining houses, firefighters found the charred body of Lata Katarpawar, who was in her forties, lying on the mezzanine floor.

 

A domestic help, Lata was cleaning and mopping the floor on the mezzanine floor when the tragedy occurred. Lata used to stay just opposite to the building where she used to work in the shop. Aerosol-based perfume spray car freshener shop on ground and mezzanine floors was completely devastated in the inferno. It is learnt that Alfaz Ansari was running the chemicals business. He had taken the ground floor shop and mezzanine floor on rent. Around 11.20 am, the Fire Brigade received an emergency call and a team of firefighters rushed to the spot. Six fire tenders were pressed into service from Civil Lines, Sugat Nagar, Cotton Market, and Ganjipeth Fire Stations.

 

On reaching the spot, Station officers Tushar Barahate, Waghmare, and Shambharkar, Firemen Satpute, Ashok Ghavghave, Bhagwan Marbate, Tilgule, Anil Balpande, and other team members led by CFO Uchake started combating the inferno. The team members first started dousing the flames and evacuating the occupants in the building. Some residents told the firefighters that they had seen Lata climbing down the stairs after fire engulfed the second floor where a huge quantity of firecrackers was stored. Sensing trouble, the building owner allegedly managed to escape. Using foam and water, firefighters extinguished the fire within an hour. Staff from Sadar Police Station and Chhaoni Police Chowky handled the traffic during firefighting operation.

 

Fire Brigade personnel and police sent Lata’s body to Mayo Hospital in an ambulance for autopsy. Speaking to ‘The Hitavada’, CFO Uchake said, “It appears that Lata was trapped in the fire on the mezzanine floor while climbing down the stairs.” The house of Anil Katarpawar was not much damaged, he added. Prima facie, he said, an electric short-circuit may be the reason behind the fire. Further investigations by Sadar Police, who registered an accidental death case, is on.