Thane, May 21 (IANS) A firefighter and a security guard lost their lives and two others sustained severe burn injuries after a massive fire broke out early Thursday morning in Thane, Maharashtra, officials said.

According to officials from the Thane Municipal Corporation, the fire erupted around 3:45 a.m. at the Gamdevi Vegetable Market building located on Gokhale Road in the Naupada area of Thane. As most residents were asleep at the time, the fire initially went unnoticed and gradually spread across the market premises.

The sight of towering flames and thick smoke rising from the market soon created panic in the locality. Local residents later alerted the fire department after realising the severity of the blaze. Officials said the market housed not only vegetable stalls but also several shops selling clothing.

Upon receiving information about the incident, six fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and firefighting operations were immediately launched. During the operation, two individuals lost their lives in the blaze.

The deceased have been identified as Sagar Shinde (43) and Kalu Shankar Gadekar (53). Officials stated that Shinde was serving as a Station Officer with the Thane Fire Brigade, while Gadekar worked as a security guard with the Municipal Corporation.

Two others were also injured in the incident. They have been identified as Fire Brigade Station Officer Sujit Pashte (45) and Fire Brigade Tandel (Squad Leader) Sameer Jadhav (40).

Both injured personnel have been admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries, officials said.

Firefighters continued cooling and containment operations for several hours as teams worked to bring the flames completely under control. Authorities are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

Firefighters continued efforts to completely douse the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures.

–IANS

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