Quick thinking cops save the day as Mulund flat catches fire

Mumbai: Mulund Police station beat Marshals, Arjun Rathod and Rajendra Shinde, were on their usual rounds, when the duo spotted smoke coming out of a residential building near the railway station on the western side.

And what followed was a display of presence of mind and bravery as they wasted no time in alerting the nearest mobile van and rushed into Dhiraj Apartments, a ground plus six storey building. They reached the fourth floor, on which the flat that had caught fire was and helped a a 17-year-old boy evacuate.

“I spotted smoke from a building and rushed to the spot. My colleague Shinde and I immediately alerted the nearest mobile van and rushed into the fourth floor flat, which had caught fire. We helped a 17-year-old boy and another person evacuate and then alerted other residents, and everyone managed to get out of the building,” said Rathod.

The fire was reported to Mumbai Fire Brigade around 11:40am and was doused at 12pm. The rescued boy, Hiraman Mishra, said that he was taking a bath when he heard some noise. When he came out to check, he saw that the tubelight in his parents’ room had caught fire and the room was filled with smoke.

“It was dark in the room. I immediately came out and alerted the neighbours,” said Mishra.

Rajkumar Pachisia, the secretary of the building, said, “I was about to reach my workplace in Bhiwandi when my wife called me. Initially, she was in a panic. She then told me about the fire and asked me to return home. When I returned, almost all the agencies were in action, and the residents had gathered on the ground floor. I want to thank all the agencies and the alert residents, who closed the valve of the gas pipeline as a precautionary measure.”