In a daring rescue Tuesday morning, an off-duty fireman saved the life of a four-year-old girl who was moments away from falling from a third-floor window in Pune’s Katraj area.
The incident took place at around 9 am in Sonawane Building, Khopdenagar, where the girl, identified as Bhavika Chandane, was home alone. Leaning out of the bedroom window, she reportedly slipped and got stuck between the metal grill and the ledge, dangling dangerously several feet above the ground.
Umesh Sutar, a resident of a nearby building, saw the child hanging and immediately began shouting for help. His cries alerted Yogesh Chavan, a fire officer posted at the Kothrud fire station who happened to be at home on what was his weekly off.
“I was reading the newspaper when I heard Umesh shouting,” Chavan told Hindustan Times. “I rushed to his flat and saw the girl hanging from the window. I immediately ran to the building but the flat was locked from the outside.”
The girl’s mother, who had gone to drop her elder daughter to school, arrived in the nick of time and unlocked the door. Chavan quickly entered the apartment and pulled in the child to safety through the same window.
{{/usCountry}}The girl’s mother, who had gone to drop her elder daughter to school, arrived in the nick of time and unlocked the door. Chavan quickly entered the apartment and pulled in the child to safety through the same window.
{{/usCountry}}Eyewitnesses said that the girl had been clinging desperately to the window grill, crying loudly, but her calls went unheard until Sutar spotted her from the adjacent building. He managed to record the incident on his mobile phone while raising the alarm.
Fortunately, Bhavika escaped unhurt, thanks to Chavan’s swift response. Officials later said that a delay of even a few more seconds could have resulted in tragedy.
Recognising his courageous act, the Pune fire brigade felicitated Chavan the same day, despite him being off duty. The video of the rescue has since gone viral on social media, drawing praise from citizens and civic officials alike.