A 75-year-old woman died and another elderly woman was rescued after a fire broke out in a three-storey building behind the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj temple in Alandi, Pune, on Monday evening, with a narrow approach road complicating the response by firefighters.
The deceased was identified as Shakuntala Inderkumar Dhadiwal. She suffered severe burn injuries and was taken first to Alandi rural hospital before being shifted to YCM Hospital in Pimpri, where she died. Sarla Sumtilal Lodha, another elderly resident, was rescued from the building.
The fire began between 7.30pm and 7.45pm in a building adjoining the Jain Sthanak temple, on the southern side of the Sant Dnyaneshwar temple’s darshan mandap. Two families were living in the premises. Officials said a large quantity of cardboard stored on the first floor contributed to the spread of smoke.
The building’s limited windows and entrances made it difficult for rescuers to enter and evacuate residents. Firefighters from the Alandi municipal council and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation worked for more than two hours before bringing the blaze under control.
The narrow approach road created an additional operational challenge. Firefighters were forced to park their vehicle some distance from the building, requiring personnel to cover part of the distance on foot while dealing with the fire and smoke. Local volunteers from Shivtej Mitra Mandal also assisted with rescue and firefighting operations.
A second fire was reported in Alandi between 1am and 1.30am in a room on the first floor of pilgrim accommodation at the Sant Jalaram Bappa temple on the Alandi-Markal Road. No casualties were reported in that incident, although some household articles were damaged.
The exact causes of both fires have not yet been established. A short circuit is suspected in the building behind the Sant Dnyaneshwar temple. Sandeep Patil, a junior engineer with Mahavitaran in Alandi, said a preliminary assessment indicated a possible electrical fault because the insulation on the wires had burnt while the wires remained intact. He said further investigation would establish the exact cause.
The incidents occurred in a busy religious area where building access, storage practices and emergency vehicle movement can affect response operations. In the first fire, the combination of restricted openings, stored cardboard and the narrow road formed part of the circumstances firefighters had to manage. The authorities’ investigation will determine the confirmed cause and assess the building conditions involved.
Further investigation into both fires is expected to establish the causes and document the response to the incidents.
