A fire broke out in an apartment on the 22nd floor of the B Wing of Kakkad La Vida, a high-rise residential building near Laxmi Mata Temple in Balewadi, Pune, at about 4.30 pm on Saturday, October 10, prompting an emergency response from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Baner fire brigade.
Large volumes of smoke and flames were seen emerging from the apartment, drawing the attention of residents and people in the surrounding area. The incident caused concern in the neighbourhood as smoke spread visibly from the upper floor of the building.
According to the report by Sakal – Pune, the apartment belonged to Dr Abhaya Natoure, who was away when the fire started. With the occupants outside the home, a major loss of life was avoided, the report said. The available report did not specify whether any other residents or fire personnel were injured.
Fire brigade personnel from the Baner station reached the building after receiving information about the blaze and began efforts to bring it under control. The height of the affected floor made the operation challenging, according to the report.
Shivaji Memane, a centre officer with the Baner fire department, said the fire had been brought substantially under control. The report did not provide details of the equipment or operational methods used by the firefighters during the response.
The precise cause of the fire had not been established at the time of the report. The extent of financial damage was also not known. A clearer assessment is expected only after the blaze is completely controlled and the affected apartment and building area are inspected.
The incident places attention on the practical difficulties of responding to fires in high-rise residential buildings, where the affected floor can be difficult to access and smoke can affect evacuation and firefighting operations. However, the supplied report does not provide information about the building’s fire-safety systems, evacuation measures, inspection history or whether any official safety violation was found.
Fire department personnel were continuing efforts to secure the site and complete the response. The cause of the fire and the value of the damage are expected to be clarified after the fire is fully extinguished and the inspection is completed.
