In the aftermath of Saturday’s fire that burned down a building in Kalbadevi, a group of college students lent a much-needed helping hand to the police in their struggle to keep the crowd and passing traffic under control. Some of the volunteers stayed at the spot for over 16 hours, using their experience from similar emergencies such as the Mantralaya fire, Dockyard building collapse and even the Zaveri Bazaar bomb blasts, where they had also helped out. The students are all part of KC College’s National Service Scheme (NSS) wing and had been trained at disaster management workshops held at the institute every year.

One of the volunteers on the spot, Sagar Mehta (22), an MSc student at the college said, “I have been here for almost 18 hours now. I had also volunteered after the Mantralaya fire, the Dockyard building collapse and during Ganpati visarjan. It is an uplifting experience.”