Residents' speedy response to fire averts major disaster

Au00a0Fire broke out on the ground floor of the Krushna Rukmai, a four-storey apartment building in Navi Peth, yesterday afternoon.

Most of the building is occupied by families that have lived in it for a decade now, but the ground floor had been turned into a vehicle spare parts godown.

Officials from the Yeranwara fire brigade reached the spot soon after the residents of the building made an emergency call. It took two fire brigade vehicles, two tankers, 20 officials and almost half-an-hour to get the situation under control.

Though there were no reports of injuries, the blaze was big enough to damage the walls of nearby houses.

"Over 60 per cent of the godown has been badly damaged; because of the speed of the residents' response, we could save half of the place," said an official, Rajesh Jagtap. "Walls and roofs of neighbouring houses were affected. But no one is hurt."

The cause of fire could not be immediately detected.