'Firefighters fiddled as my sister choked to death'

MUMBAI: “The flames have been doused but I am fuming with anger and helplessness. Firemen came without masks and then debated how to rescue people as my family screamed for help,” said Sunil Lalchandani. He lost his sister Kajal Soni (42) to the Saturday’s inferno at Lake Homes complex, Powai, but hardly has had time to grieve. Six of his family members, including his daughter, are currently hospitalised, and one is critical.
Lalchandani alleged that firemen wasted crucial time in strategizing as the smoke choked his sister to death. A resident of Jaipur, Kajal had come to Mumbai for vacationing just a week ago. The family reunion was more like an yearly ritual. Her sons Yash (17) and Saurav (13), who also accompanied her, are now recovering at Powai’s LH Hiranandani Hospital. They have not been told about their mother’s death.
When the fire broke out on Saturday evening, Lalchandani started getting frantic calls from his daughter Diya, sister Kajal and her children. His brother-in-law Sanjay Soni (44) also called desperately for help as they climbed up two floors from their 16th floor residence hoping to be rescued from the terrace. They however could not climb beyond the 18th floor as a thin blanket of smoke engulfed the stairways and brought the visibility to naught.
“I reached the terrace from the adjoining wing and found the fire fighters debating on how to enter the building without masks. I tried to reason with them and even asked for a way out but nothing moved. I soaked my T-shirt in water, covered my nose and entered the building after breaking open the terrace door. My sister and brother-in-law had already collapsed by then,” he said. His brother-in-law is critical now and on ventilator. It however remains a mystery why they did not access the refuge area.
The ordeal for Sonis did not end there. Their uncle Lachhman Rijhwani who was waiting downstairs said the injured, who could barely breathe, had to be rushed in a police van to the hospital. “Kajal was being resuscitated on the floor of the van by a doctor from the society. There were five more people gasping for breath in the van and an ambulance was the utmost need of the hour,” he said. Kajal was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. “Timely oxygen support could have given Kajal a shot at life. The whole disaster management drill needs an overhaul in this,” Rijhwani added.
Fire brigade officials however maintained that there was no dearth of masks. Assistant divisional fire officer Harish Shetty said that one of the officers had come after his duty hours from an adjoining station to rescue 15 people. “There were six ambulances on the spot,” he said, adding that two fire officials were also injured.
The Bhatias living on the 19th floor also could not escape the fire that broke out five floors below. While Ashwini Bhatia died due to smoke inhalation his wife Nutan is recovering at Hiranandani Hsopital. Their children, who reside in Australia, have been informed, said relatives. Three people who were at Bhatia’s residence during the incident are also hospitalized.
CEO of Hiranandani Hospital Dr Sujit Chatterjee said that five out of 13 people who are admitted have been kept in the ICU. “Their breathing is yet to be normal. So they are under observation,” he said. 70-year-old Ashok Mukherjee, who sustained 40% burns, have been shifted to the National Burns Centre in Airoli. It is said that fire broke out in their flat but it could not be confirmed.