Thane fire: couple dead; daughter, grandson stranded for 2hrs

While an elderly couple was charred to death, their daughter and grandson were trapped for nearly two hours on the ledge outside the balcony after a fire broke out at a 12th floor flat in Samtanagar area here this morning.

The mother-son duo had to be taken out through the staircase as the specialised 'snorkel ladders' of the Fire Brigade could not reach up to the spot where they were stranded.

The fire started in the 12th floor duplex flat in Gulmohar Society at around 5.30 am, probably because of a short circuit, Fire Brigade sources said.

Shivajirao Chougule (84) and his wife Nirmala Chougule (78), who were asleep, could not escape in time and died.

While their daughter Ranjana Save and her 16-year-old son Vikramaditya, who lived in the adjacent flat (which too was engulfed in flames and smoke) were trapped as they climbed on the ledge.

The Fire Brigade's truck-mounted ladder could not be manoeuvred properly because of the cars parked in the parking lot and the surrounding trees, and could not reach the spot.

Finally, six firemen entered the flat through stairs and rescued them. Both were admitted to a private hospital.