A 75-year-old woman died after a fire broke out in a three-storey building behind Sant Dnyaneshwar Temple in Alandi on Monday evening, while another elderly woman was rescued. Firefighters from the Alandi Municipal Council and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation brought the blaze under control after more than two hours.
The deceased woman was identified as Shakuntala Inderkumar Dhadiwal. The fire began between approximately 7.30 pm and 7.45 pm in a building near the Jain Sthanak, on the southern side behind the temple’s darshan hall. Two families were living in the building, according to information provided by Alandi Municipal Council president Prashant Kurhade, who was present at the scene.
A large quantity of cardboard had reportedly been stored on the first floor. The building also had few windows and doors, causing smoke to accumulate inside. Dhadiwal suffered burns over more than 25 per cent of her body and was found in the staircase. She was taken first to the rural hospital and later shifted to YCM Hospital in Pimpri, where she died.
Fire-service personnel rescued Sarla Sumtilal Lodha, the other elderly woman in the building. Firefighters Siddharth Gawade, Digambar Kurhade, Indrajit Ghundre, Satyam Jayant and Dada Gaikwad were among those who worked to contain the blaze. Local volunteers from Shivtej Mitra Mandal also assisted with the response.
Residents and volunteers said the narrow lane made it difficult to position the fire engine close to the building. The structure had only one entrance, creating further obstacles for rescue operations. The heavy cardboard storage on the first floor increased the smoke inside the building and complicated the work of the firefighters.
The precise cause of the fire has not been established. A preliminary suspicion of a short circuit was raised after the insulation on electrical wires appeared to have burnt, while the wires themselves remained intact, according to Sandeep Patil, a junior engineer with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company in Alandi. He said further inquiry would clarify the cause.
A second fire was reported during the same day at a room on the first floor of the Sant Jalaram Bappa Temple’s bhaktaniwas on the Alandi-Marakal Road. The incident occurred at about 1 am to 1.30 am and caused minor damage to household material, according to municipal councillor Somnath Kurhade. The Alandi Municipal Council, Alandi city police and Mahavitaran officials are investigating both incidents.
