Teen who saved lives in Mumbai gets Fire Champion award

Siddharameshwar Humanabade, a 19-year-old delivery boy who saved 10 lives during a hospital fire in Mumbai last December, has been honoured with the ‘Fire Champion’ award.

The award was instituted by Beyond Carlton, a citizen-led fire safety community that took birth after the Carlton Tower fire tragedy in 2010. The forum recognised Humanabade for his selfless act and promised to help him get a job in the fire force.

Uday Vijayan, managing trustee and president, Beyond Carlton, said: “We would make sincere efforts to place him in the fire department in Mumbai or Bengaluru. It would be better if the department gives spot job offers to such bravehearts.”

A native of Bidar, Humanabade started working at a young age to take care of his ailing father, working mother and a brother. Narrating the fire that broke out at the ESIC Hospital at Marol, Mumbai, he said people were taking photos and videos of the fire instead of saving lives.

“I don’t think that was the time to show our camera skills. There is nothing more important than human life. Although I had a load of food items to deliver, I decided to help the needy. I would request people to forget their mobile phones during a tragedy. Don’t shoot the video or click photos, just help people,” he added.

As part of the ninth anniversary of the Carlton Tower fire tragedy, Beyond Carlton has embarked on a campaign to offer a free fire-risk assessment to Bengaluru apartments. Former chief secretary A Ravindra delivered the Beyond Carlton Memorial Lecture on ‘Our Cities on Fire’.