Key Takeaways
- A watchman died in a hostel fire incident in Pune city, while 40 girls were rescued from the building.
- The fire occurred in a four-storey building on Kumthekar Road in Pune city.
- All 40 girl students were rescued from the hostel fire, thanks to the efforts of the fire brigade personnel.
Pune: A 45-year-old watchman died of suffocation even as 40 girl students were rescued from a midnight fire in a four-storey building housing a girls hostel in Maharashtra’s Pune city, police said Friday.
The building on Kumthekar Road housed the girls hostel on the first floor and a private educational institute on the third and fourth floor.
The fire apparently started on the ground floor. The girls were on the first floor when the incidents took place, said the police.
All 40 students were sleeping when suddenly one of them noticed the smoke, said fire officer Devendra Potphode of Pune Municipal Corporation. The fire was brought under control, and all 40 girls were rescued from the hostel.
When huge plumes of smoke started to rise, the girls rushed to the terrace, he said. The firemen rescued all girls from a neighbouring building with the help of a ladder, he added.
After the rescue operation, it was noticed that Sagar Kulkarni, the watchman who lived in the same building, was missing.
Fire brigade personnel started a search operation and found Sagar unconscious in a room. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead before admission.
