Woman, 3-year-old burnt alive in fire at Ahmedabad home

AHMEDABAD: Fire tragedies continue to scar lives of people, with one reported in the city barely a week after the Deesa incident. On Sunday afternoon, a massive blaze at a residential bungalow Gyanda Society in Jivrajpark locality claimed the lives of a 35-year-old woman and her three-year-old son trapped inside.
Twelve Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) vehicles and a team of over 150 personnel from different fire stations that were rushed to the scene battled the blaze for hours amid desperate attempts to pull the woman, Saraswati Meghani and her son Soumya, out to safety. Despite all efforts, the two died of critical burn injuries, officials said, adding both may have first lost consciousness due to the smoke.

The family was literally living on a tinderbox. The fire started from a series of explosions in over 2,000 small cylinders of air-conditioner gas stored inside the house, which was also being used as a godown by its owner. Soon, leaping flames consumed the bungalow, sending up plumes of thick black smoke, and rapidly spread to nearby houses and vehicles. Cylinder explosions at intervals punctuated the commotion and panic in the area as horrified society residents and passersby helplessly watched the tragedy unfold.
The AC gas cylinders were used in the bungalow owner's air conditioning business, officials from the police force and AFES said. Shivam Verma, DCP, Zone-7, said, "Saraswati was the wife of Jagdish Meghani, who owned the house and the godown of AC cylinders. The mother and her son died in the blast. They were recovered in critical condition and rushed for medical intervention but they charred to death." A senior fire officer at the spot said that the fire gutted at least four houses and around ten vehicles.
Recounting the horrifying moments, a resident of the society said, "At first, I thought it was children playing. As the blasts got louder, I stepped outside and saw flames leaping out from the house opposite mine. Within minutes, the flames had reached our home. It was 15 minutes of utter chaos."