Mumbai supercops who rescued 25 without safety gear

Constable Sham Rathod and Police Naik Rajkumar Bhendigeri

Two supercops, along with fire personnel, rescued around 25 residents who were trapped in their flats during the massive fire that broke out at the 21-storey Rose Mary society in Chikuwadi, Borivli, early on Sunday morning. The cops, who reached the spot soon after getting the alert, broke open doors, which were jammed, and freed the residents, including an infant and senior citizens; all of this without having any safety equipment on them.

Residents of the building told mid-day that the cops not only went up and down from the terrace to the 14th floor, but also instructed them to use mobile flashlights to signal their location, making the process easier.

The cops - Police Naik Rajkumar Bhendigeri and Constable Sham Rathod - are attached to the Borivli Police station and were at a nakabandi at Sumer Nagar Junction when they received the emergency call. The fire started on the 14th floor and quickly spread to the 17th floor. Residents alleged the fire fighting system at the high-rise did not work.

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Bhendigeri told mid-day, "We reached the spot and saw one fire brigade tanker there. Station Fire Officer Naveen Kale and we decided to rescue residents trapped inside their flats as the fire was spreading rapidly. We managed to enter the wing through the terrace on the 21st floor. There was heavy smoke which suffocated us. The fire officer then told us to cover our faces with wet cloth, which we followed. We found that a number of 17th and 16th floor residents were trapped inside, so we broke open the doors and evacuated them."

Rathod said, "We told people to use mobile flashlights to indicate their location and also asked them to cover their faces with wet cloth. The rescue operation took around 10-15 minutes and we rescued around 25 people. We also lifted several senior citizens to the terrace so that they could be evacuated."

Act lauded

Senior Inspector Sudhir Kalekar from Borivli police station said, "Bhendigeri and Rathod rescued more than 25 people without any life jackets or any safety equipment. They didn't waste time and found many people trapped inside the house including senior citizens and infants. We will felicitate them for this."

Chief Fire Officer Hemant Parab said, "Our Fire officer Naveen Kale took a risk and rescued many people trapped in fire inside the society. My team worked well and saved everyone. However, the housing society should take responsibility and check the fire system regularly. We are probing what caused the fire."

He, however, added, "We also give training in housing societies about what to do in case of fire but we are getting very low response with only a handful of people attending the training."

What to do in case of a fire

>> Don't panic
>> Do not use lifts; use stairs
>> Follow instructions of fire brigade or police personnel
>> Cover face with wet cloth
>> Try to go to the terrace or other open spaces
>> Use mobile flashlights to indicate your location in heavy smoke
>> Help each other as a team.