Guard’s last act of bravery: Security man dies battling blaze

Uday Gangan died while trying to douse the fire

Uday Gangan, a 47-year-old security guard, died in a fire at a building in Vidyavihar early Monday morning. He was unwell and was supposed to skip his duty, but he went for his night shift and lost his life while trying to extinguish the blaze. The incident left three others with minor injuries. Gangan lived with his wife and two sons in a rented home in Kirol Village, Vidyavihar West. He had been working as a security guard for the past eight years. "Baba was not feeling well; he was supposed to stay at home. But he went for his shift… and now we will never see him again," said Prasad Gangan, Uday's 26-year-old son.

Prasad shared that the family was living in a rented house while trying to rebuild their old home in Vithalwadi, Kalyan.

"My brother and I work at a private hospital in South Mumbai," said Uday's younger son, Vishal, 24. "I am also working to fulfil my father's dream of rebuilding our house."

Uday's wife, Ujwala, was inconsolable. "We were all working to rebuild our home, but he left us before that. Now, who will support us?" she said.

Completely charred apartment in Vidyavihar where the security guard lost his life trying to douse the fire. Pics/Shadab Khan

Brave attempt to douse fire

Abhay Gokhani, secretary of the society, told mid-day that two security guards attempted to douse the flames with fire extinguishers.

"Uday collapsed while trying to put out the fire, while another guard, Sabhajit Yadav, 52, sustained minor injuries," he said.

(From left) Prasad Uday Gangan and Vishal Uday Gangan, sons of Uday Gangan, with their mother Ujwala Uday Gangan, at Rajawadi Hospital

Fire brigade report

According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the fire broke out on the first floor of Takshashila Society in Neelkanth Kingdom Complex and spread to the second floor of the 13-storey building, engulfing electric wiring, installations, furniture, AC units, clothes, and wooden fittings.

"The fire started around 4.30 am," said Gokhani. "We rescued the Jitendra Jain family from their flat and helped evacuate residents from the second and third floors via the staircase,"

Casualties, hospital reports

Yadav was admitted to Rajawadi Hospital in Vidyavihar with 5-8 per cent burns and is in stable condition, according to doctors.

Uday, however, suffered 100 per cent burns and was declared brought dead.

Kamala Ramesh Jain, 73, sustained minor burns, while Jitendra Ramesh Jain, 46, was treated and discharged from a private hospital.

Lapses under probe

A senior fire official said that there was no power supply to the fire-fighting system at the time of the incident, rendering it unusable.

"Further investigation is underway. If the power outage was due to negligence, appropriate action will be taken. We will also review the society's six-month inspection report," the official said.

There was another fire on Monday afternoon on the 10th floor of the 22-storey Marine Plaza building at Marine Lines. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes.

Monday
Day fire incident occurred