A fire damaged the vacant Bhandari Wada in Pune’s Gurुवार Peth late on 10 November after a burning firecracker fragment reportedly fell into the old structure, prompting a response from four fire tenders and nearly 20 firefighters. No injuries or deaths were reported, but the two-storey wada suffered extensive damage.
The fire was reported to the Pune Fire Brigade control room at 10.38 pm from Bhandari Wada in the Panchhaud area, near Survey No. 809. Fire brigade personnel found flames on the upper floor of the old structure, which was not occupied at the time.
According to the report by Civic Mirror – Pune, local residents gave the preliminary information that a burning piece of a firecracker may have fallen into the wada and started the blaze. The cause has not been described as a confirmed finding by the fire brigade in the supplied report.
Firefighters treated the building as a structural hazard because it was in a dilapidated condition and at risk of collapse. Instead of entering the wada directly, personnel reached the upper floor using a ladder from an adjoining wada and began spraying water on the fire.
The response was planned to prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring buildings in the closely built-up area. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after about 30 minutes. The incident also involved police personnel, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited staff, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s building demolition department and local residents.
Fire brigade officers Sanjay Ramटेके and Prashant Gaikwad were among those involved in the operation, according to the report. The structure was reportedly unoccupied, which helped prevent a larger loss of life despite the fire occurring at night during the Diwali period.
The incident highlights the operational risks faced by emergency responders in Pune’s older wada neighbourhoods, where ageing structures, narrow urban fabric and adjoining buildings can complicate firefighting. In this case, the building’s weakened condition prevented firefighters from taking the most direct route into the affected premises.
The supplied report does not provide details of the property’s ownership, its structural assessment, the extent of the financial loss or any municipal decision regarding the damaged wada. No further official action or inspection timeline was specified in the available information.
