Two senior citizens killed after fire erupts at Sunderban society in Thane

THANE: Two senior citizens died when a fire broke out in a penthouse on the New Gulmohur building of Sunderban society in Samata Nagar area here. The cause of the fire, which started around 5.30 am, is not known.
The deceased, Shivajirao Chougule (84) and his wife Nirmala (78), could not escape the flames and were charred to death, police said.
Two others occupants of the penthouse, the deceased couple's daughter Ranjana Save (50) and her son Vikramaditya escaped with minor burn injuries and are being treated at a private hospital.
The two survivors could be saved by the fire brigade team as they had stepped out of the burning apartment and were standing on the parapets.
Thane fire brigade pressed into service four fire tenders and a bronto skylift. The firefighting operations were delayed as the skylift could not be positioned properly due to the trees in the compound.
Disaster management personnel said the monstrous blaze could not be controlled as the entire furniture, flooring and eve of the staircase connecting the duplex apartment was wooden.
"Fire just swept through the house destroying everything. The veneer, polish and wood are highly inflammable because of which everything inside the house is destroyed.
Thane fire resembles Mantralaya inferno
THANE: The monstrous blaze that gutted the duplex apartment in Thane appears to have a strong resemblance to the inferno which ravaged the Mantralaya in 2012.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that a short circuit in the 10th floor duplex was ostensibly the reason for the fire.
Fire officials said wood or plywood sheets polished with chemical-based veneer are highly inflammable materials and results in a tinder-box like situation during fires.
Likewise, the fire in Mantralaya was attributed to short-circuit and turned uncontrollable as the office interiors were made of plywood and veneer-based furniture used for make-shift cabins and chambers of the ministers and their personnel.
"The house fire spread quickly and in the blink of an eye the entire apartment was up in flames. There was no way to douse these flames at that point of time as the entire apartment was decorated up with wooden furniture. The house flooring was wood-based, the staircase that led to the duplex apartment was made of wood and so were all the wardrobes and other furniture," said D Kadam of the Thane disaster management unit.
The two senior citizens were trapped inside their rooms because of the flames and were charred to death. Their daughter and grandson, however, wriggled out of the house through a window and were standing on the parapet staring down from the 10 th floor for close to two hours.
The Mantralaya fire had claimed the lives of two persons — Umesh Potyekar, a banker from Baramati and businessman Mahesh Gugale ​— who were locked inside the ante-chamber of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Many of the Mantralaya staffers had climbed out of the window and standing on the parapet waiting to be rescued.
The two survivors of the Thane fire, Ranjana and her son Vikramaditya, were standing precariously on the parapet for two hours before they were rescued by the fire brigade team.