Nalasopara high-rise fire: Two women killed, around 25 to 30 residents rescued in Palghar

Two women were killed after a major fire broke out at Imperial Heights a highrise residential building in the Achole area of Maharashtrarsquos Palghar district late on Tuesday night The blaze triggered panic among residents with several people trapped on the upper floors before firefighters launched a largescale rescue operationThe fire broke out at around 1130 pm on October 13 at the building on the NalasoparaVasai Link Road Firefighters police personnel and administrative officials rushed to the spot Around 25 to 30 people were evacuated from the building according to officialsThe deceased were identified as Falguni Shah 50 and Ashwini Parkar 50 Preliminary findings suggest that the women may have died due to smoke inhalation Their exact cause of death will be established after the postmortem reports are receivedFire spreads across multiple floorsRohan More Chief Fire Officer of the VasaiVirar Municipal Corporation said local corporator Ashok Shelke informed him about the incident around midnight By then two fire engines from the Achole area had already reached the buildingAccording to More the fire was initially reported on the fourth floor but its severity became apparent after firefighters arrived Several residents were trapped on the upper floors making their evacuation the immediate priorityThe blaze was particularly intense on the 13th and 14th floors Firefighters also found traces of fire or embers on the third and ninth floors while flames engulfed the door leading to the refuge floor on the 12th floorFire engines water tankers waterbrowsers and specialised water towers were deployed to contain the blaze Private water tankers were also brought in to support the firefighting operationSpecial ladder machines used to rescue residentsVasaiVirar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Prithviraj BP said fire personnel police officers and administrative officials began rescue operations soon after receiving information about the incidentAround 15 to 20 people were initially rescued with the assistance of firefighters and turntable ladder TTL machines while other residents managed to descend safely Eight people were rescued from outside the building using a specialised TTL machine More saidFirefighters faced challenging conditions due to the intense heat in the stairwell Officials said the teams assessed the situation and worked to secure residents trapped inside before evacuating them in a planned mannerThe municipal commissioner said nearby banquet halls and hotels had been made available to provide temporary accommodation to families affected by the fireWomen may have died due to smoke inhalationDr Kavita Jagada in charge of the VasaiVirar Municipal Corporationrsquos Tulinj Hospital told IANS that both women had sustained minor burn injuries Preliminary findings suggested that they had likely died after inhaling smokeAfter the completion of the inquest proceedings their bodies were sent to the mortuary in Vasai West The final cause of death will be determined after the postmortem reports are receivedInvestigation to examine fire safety complianceThe municipal corporation will conduct a detailed investigation to determine the cause of the fire and assess whether any safety lapses contributed to the incidentThe inquiry will examine the buildingrsquos construction permissions fire safety approvals the condition of firefighting systems and the possibility of a short circuit in the electrical panel Officials said appropriate action would be taken if negligence or safety deficiencies were foundMayor Ajeev Patil Commissioner Prithviraj BP MLA Sneha Dubey Pandit Additional Commissioner Sanjay Herwade City Engineer Pradeep Pachange ACP Sunil Jaibhaye and other police and civic officials visited the site to oversee the rescue efforts and assess the situationWith inputs from IANS