A fire broke out in a 22nd-floor flat in Balewadi, Pune, on Saturday evening, destroying furniture and electronic goods while the family living there was away. No casualties were reported, and firefighters brought the incident under control after reaching the building with three fire tenders.
Station fire officer Shivaji Memane said the fire started at around 4.30 pm. The fire department received an emergency call at 4.35 pm after residents of the building noticed flames coming out of the flat’s windows.
“ We received an emergency call at 4.35 pm when residents of the building spotted flames coming out of the windows,” Memane said. Firefighters reached the site with three tenders and entered the flat after breaking open the door.
By the time the team entered, the furniture and electronic goods inside the flat had been extensively damaged. Memane said the contents had effectively been destroyed by the fire. The family had gone out when the incident occurred, preventing any reported injuries to the occupants.
The incident occurred in a high-rise residential building, where access to an upper-floor flat required the fire team to respond with multiple tenders and force entry into the locked home. The flames were noticed by other residents, who alerted the fire department after seeing them emerge from the windows.
The fire officer said the department was investigating the reason behind the fire. No cause has been established in the information available from the fire department, and no further details about the origin of the flames or the condition of other parts of the building were provided.
The response began within minutes of the emergency call, according to the station fire officer. Firefighters then entered the flat to tackle the blaze and assess the damage. The reported losses were confined to furniture and electronic goods inside the apartment, while no casualties were reported.
The incident places attention on the importance of rapid reporting and coordinated emergency access in high-rise residential buildings. In this case, residents identified the flames and alerted authorities while the occupants were away, allowing the fire department to reach the building and enter the flat.
The fire department’s investigation into the cause of the Balewadi fire is the next confirmed step. Further details will depend on the findings of that inquiry.
