17 girls rescued after fire in Surat commercial complex; no injuries
February 24, 2022 00:50
Fire fighters rescue students
At least 17 teenage girls were rescued using a hydraulic platform after thick smoke caused by a fire engulfed a three-storey commercial complex in Surat city of Gujarat on Wednesday evening, an official said.
The fire started in the basement of the structure, where plastic articles were stored, but the smoke reached the top floor where tuition classes for girls were going on, said Surat Municipal Corporation's chief fire officer Basant Pareek.
"While the fire was limited to the basement area only, the smoke covered the entire building located in Singanpore area. After learning about the incident at around 6 pm, we sent 10 fire fighting vehicles and a hydraulic platform to the spot. The fire in the basement was contained within a couple of hours," he said.
Using the hydraulic platform, 17 girls trapped on the third floor were rescued, Pareek said.
"We first moved them to a safer place having good ventilation and then brought them down using the platform. No one was injured in the incident," he said.
The fire erupted in some plastic articles stored in the basement due to some unknown reason.
The firemen had to break a wall on the ground floor using hammers and cut a hole to gain access to the basement, the official said. -- PTI
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