Explosion kills fireman in line of duty at Kalyan restaurant

Firemen were trying to douse blaze when shutter fell on 57yearold Jagan Amle

KALYAN:A 57-year-old leading fireman was killed while another was injured when an explosion ripped through a small eatery in Kalyan (West) on Thursday. Jagan Amle was part of the team of four firemen and died on the spot.

Chief fire officer of Kalyandombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Dilip Gund, said, “Amle always followed all safety measures. It was unfortunate that the explosion took place and he lost his life.” The Bazarpeth police station has registered a case of accidental death.

On Thursday, the KDMC fire department received a call around 1.15am, reporting smoke from a small eatery in Khadakpada. A fire tender and four firemen reached Aaswad Chinese Center to douse the blaze at 1am. The fire seemed to be minor. Amle and Sandeep Palve, 35, went towards the entrance to douse the flames while Nikhil Isame and Pramod Kolte looked into the water supply for the hose.

KDMC’S fire officer Sudhakar Kulkarni said, “The firemen were initially planning to cool the shutter with water and then open it to enter the small eatery. Amle was not going to enter the eatery and so was not wearing a helmet. He was a leading fireman and was supposed to give instructions to Palve.”

Just as the firemen were going to enter the premises, there was a loud explosion.

“Two firemen were thrown away. The [eatery’s] heavy shutter crashed on Amle’s head. Amle died on the spot and Palve suffered injuries on his hand,” said Kulkarni.

KDMC commissioner Govind Bodke has sought a detailed report from the fire department. “The civic body will extend all help to the family,” he said.

Amle, who was to retire in September 2019, is survived by his wife Jyotsna, 46; two daughters, Priyanka and Pooja; and one son, Yadnesh. Priyanka, 27, is married and lives in Nagpur. Pooja, 22, is studying engineering, and Yadnesh, 18, is a student at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Bhiwandi. Amle was the only earning member in the family. “The family is in shock,” said Amle’s sister Surekha Amurkar, 52.

“He was known to be the best fireman in the department.” Last year, KDMC gave Amle the Adarsh award for his dedication.

The Bazarpeth police station has filed an accidental death report. “It is suspected that a short circuit might have caused the fire,” said senior police inspector R Tayde, adding that strict action would be taken

against the owners if any violations were found. Locals said the eatery is run by two brothers, who also have a battery service shop attached to the eatery. There is an MSEDCL transformer next to the eating joint.

This is the second time KDMC’S fire department has suffered losses this month. On November 1, two leading firemen died during rescue operations at a well in Kalyan (East).