The city’s Naupada police claimed to have reached a fire mishap spot in just about three minutes, and rescued people, including children and elderly persons, trapped in the premises.
Their efforts were appreciated at a private function organised by some city residents here on Sunday.
A 26-storey building in the Naupada area had caught fire on Friday afternoon.
While a number of fire engines were pressed into service to douse the flames, the Naupada police personnel also rushed to the spot and managed to reach the premises in 3.31 minutes, inspector Sanjay Dhumal claimed.
Senior police inspector Chandrakant Jadhav said taking into account the extent of fire, the first task before them was to keep at bay the large crowd which had gathered outside the building, housing around 100 families.
Dhumal narrated how he kept encouraging the panic- striken families trapped in the building not to lose hope, and brought them out.
He climbed up a scaffolding and rescued several people who were trapped in the smoke emanating from the fire.
He said a couple stranded on one of the floors was in a fix whether to drop down their two-year-old child to save him. On seeing their condition, Dhumal said he immediately climbed up the floor and saved the couple and their child.
Inspector (administration) Prakash Patil said as soon as he got information about the fire, he rushed to the spot on his son’s scooter. Enroute he also alerted a police van, in which two woman constables also reached the building.
Patil said he rescued several people from the building by rushing up and down the floors.
In one apartment there was lot of smoke and nothing was visible. However, the policemen went inside and rescued an old woman trapped there, he said.
At the function, the brave policemen were felicitated for their efforts in saving so many lives.