Octogenarian man charred to death as flat catches fire

An 85-year-old man was charred to death after a fire broke out in his third floor flat in suburban Santacruz in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

Mumbai:  An 85-year-old man was charred to death after a fire broke out in his third floor flat in suburban Santacruz in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred in the seven-storey building namedPride of Kalina, located in Kalina area of Santacruz (East), around 1.45 am, they said. The deceased, identified as Nagin Patel, resided there alone, police said. His neighbors first noticed that a fire broke out in his flat. They immediately tried to douse the flames with the fire extinguishers installed in the building. They also tried to rescue him and alerted the fire brigade, a police official said.

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“The fire brigade personnel reached the spot and put out the blaze within an hour. Four fire engines, three water tankers were pressed into service. However, Patel was found dead inside the flat,” he said. During the probe, police came to know that the family members of the deceased resided in a separate house and appointed a caretaker for him, who used to look after him during the day time. However, Patel would stay alone at night, he added. It was a level-1 (minor) fire, the official said, adding that the short circuit could have triggered the blaze. An accidental death report (ADR) was registered at the Vakola police station, he said. The police denied any foul play in the incident.