Mumbai fire chief hurt in Kalbadevi blaze dies

Chief fire officer of the Mumbai fire brigade, Sunil Nesarikar, died of multi-organ failure at the National Burns Centre on Sunday.

Nesarikar sustained 50% burns while rescuing people during the blaze at Gokul Nivas in Kalbadevi two weeks ago. He was 51.

Nesarikar is the fourth senior fire official the department has lost to the Kalbadevi blaze. Deputy chief fire officer Sudhir Amin died on May 14, while assistant divisional officer SW Rane and station officer MN Desai died while battling the flames on May 9.

Hospital authorities said Nesarikar died around 3.30pm, after his organs stopped functioning. He is survived by his wife and son, an engineering student.

“We had conducted two surgeries and covered the burns on his legs with skin . We were supposed to cover the injuries on his hands in the next few days,” said Dr SM Keswani, medical director.

“He was put on dialysis and ventilation, so that he recovers. But his organs stopped functioning one after another. The third degree burns had resulted in an acute lung injury,” a hospital official said. Nesarikar’s condition started to deteriorate on Saturday evening, Keswani said.