Fire in Lokhandwala apartment building claims three lives, including elderly couple

The deceased were identified as an elderly couple, Chandraprakash Soni, 74, and Kanta Soni, 74, along with their staff member, Pelubeta, 42

Mumbai: A fire broke out in the Riya Palace building in Lokhandwala, Andheri, at 8 am on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of three residents. The deceased, who lived on the 10th floor of the 14-storey building, were identified as an elderly couple, Chandraprakash Soni, 74, and Kanta Soni, 74, along with their staff member, Pelubeta, 42.

A fire broke out in the Riya Palace building in Lokhandwala, Andheri, at 8 am on Wednesday. Representative Image. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

The fire was extinguished by 8:55 am, and the victims were rushed to Cooper Hospital, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival.

Purushottam Sandikar, the divisional fire officer in charge, recounted the incident: "A neighbour working on the terrace around 8 am noticed smoke emanating from the 10th floor. They attempted to extinguish the fire and alerted the fire brigade."

Sandikar added, “We extinguished the fire within half an hour, after which cooling operations took some time. The three individuals found in the fire were transported to Cooper Hospital, where the doctor declared them dead. Two succumbed to the impact of burns, while the third died due to smoke inhalation. The enclosed nature of the residence made it challenging to rescue the deceased.”