Pune: A 15-year-old boy was killed and five others sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a 14-storey residential building in Pune on Friday, a fire official said.
The blaze erupted in a flat on the 12th floor of the Marvel Ideal Society on Jagdamba Bhavan Road in Undri in the afternoon, the official said. The incident occurred around 2.30 pm in flat number 1201 of Wing F.
He said a gas cylinder exploded during the firefighting operation, injuring two firefighters.
“Five fire tenders and a hydraulic ladder vehicle were rushed to the spot. When firefighters carried hose pipes to the upper floors and began dousing the flames, a cylinder exploded, leaving two firefighters and three residents injured. A 15-year-old boy died in the incident,” the official said.
According to fire brigade officials, the minor, who was alone in the flat was trapped and died later. During the rescue operation, two firemen, including Vishwajeet Madhukar Wagh from Kondhwa Budruk and Pruvthviraj Parmeshwar Khedkar from Kondhwa Khurd, were injured.
The blaze gutted the entire apartment and the cause is yet to be determined.
The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital, he said, adding that the blaze had been brought under control and cooling operations are underway.
Devendra Potphode, chief, Pune Fire Brigade, said that the building’s permanent fire safety system was found non-functional at the primary level. He has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
“Firefighting systems in buildings are not a formality, but a vital safeguard for the lives of residents. All housing societies in the city must ensure their fire safety mechanisms are in proper working condition.”
