THANE: Six firemen from the Thane fire brigade died of suffocation after becoming stuck in an elevator that became full of smoke from a burning apartment on Sunday morning.
According to police and fire brigade officials, the men had gone to extinguish a fire at an apartment that caught fire in a building in the city’s ‘Tarangan’ housing society complex.
It is thought the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. On entering the lift, the men became stuck and smoke from the apartment entered the lift, causing them to die of suffocation, said Vijay Vaidya, chief of the Thane fire station.
He added that the same group of fire fighters also attended another fire at a 14th floor apartment the night before. The fire was caused by a firework originating from a group of revelers who were celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali. As a result, residents evacuated the building. This fire was, however, soon brought under control.
