3.22 am - The fire flames became aggressive. The electric motor of the sewing machines got burnt and a blasting sound attracted the attention of the neighbours. More than 100 persons from the lane and neighbouring areas gathered in front of the building. They raised an alarm for people staying in the building.
3.30 am - The whole machines, furniture, and clothes in the shop on the ground floor got engulfed in fire.
3.40 am – Aslam and his family woke up and got down from the first floor’s balcony with the help of a ladder. Meanwhile, the couple staying on the terrace also jumped on the terrace of the neighbour’s building and were saved.
3.41 am - The Fire Brigade Station at Padampura received the phone call. Meanwhile, MSEDCL personnel reached and disconnected the power supply.
3.50 am - Fire Brigade Officer Haribhau Ghuge and his team reached the spot. They removed the shutter with JCB. The firefighters doused the fire with the help of three tenders in 40 minutes and then only they could reach the second floor where the family lost their lives.
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A few youths after evacuating Aslam and his family tried to reach the second floor but was in vain as the staircase was enveloped with aggressive fire flames. They tried to alert Waseem and his family through a phone call but was in vain. The whole family could not hear the voice and hence could not wake up and lost their lives.
Family in grief
The relatives, friends, and residents of Cantonment gathered in large numbers outside the mortuary ward on the GMCH campus. Their eyes were welled up with tears and some of them could not control their tears. The doctors performing post-mortem on the kids also got emotional. The bodies were handed over to relatives in the evening.