Tragedy struck Maharashtra’s Palghar district late Wednesday night when a massive fire broke out in a 14-storey residential building, claiming the lives of two women and sending panic through the community.
According to officials from the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC) fire department, the blaze was reported at 12:10 AM at Imperial Heights, located along the busy Nalasopara-Vasai Link Road.
The fire spread rapidly through the structure, filling hallways with thick, hazardous smoke and trapping residents inside. In a harrowing sequence of events, four residents sought desperate refuge on a small exterior ledge to escape the encroaching flames. They remained stranded there for nearly 45 agonising minutes until VVMC fire personnel arrived and successfully rescued them using a large crane.
Preliminary medical assessments suggest that the two victims—identified as 50-year-old Falguni Shah and 50-year-old Ashwini Parkar—likely succumbed to suffocation caused by heavy smoke inhalation. Officials noted that the exact cause of death will be officially confirmed following post-mortem examinations.
Six other individuals sustained injuries or smoke inhalation and were rushed to a nearby private hospital for emergency treatment. In total, emergency responders successfully rescued 25 people from the multi-storey building.
A coordinated response involving seven fire engines battled the ferocious blaze throughout the night. Firefighters finally brought the situation under control by 7:20 AM, after which cooling operations commenced.
Local representatives, including former mayor Rupesh Jadhav, rushed to the site to inspect ongoing rescue and relief efforts. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown and is currently under active investigation by local authorities.
