Tilak Nagar fire: Mom, wife consumed by flames, son escapes

Mumbai: Firemen found the charred bodies of Laxmiben Gangar (83) and her daughter-in-law Tarla (52) lying in front of the temple inside their flat after a two-hour search. Flat numbers 1103 and 1104 belong to the Gangars. Laxmiben was at home with her son Suresh, and Tarla when the fire started in the opposite flat. Suresh managed to escape and  her second daughter-in-law Ruchi was lucky as she had left for the market to buy vegetables minutes before the fire.

Before the bodies were recovered, Tarla’s brother Bharat said, “When we heard the news about the fire, we tried to contact them, but were unable to enter the building to help them and are feeling sad about it.” He added, “Ruchi and Suresh were lucky. Ruchi went down to buy vegetables and managed to escape this deadly fire.”

Tarla Gangar

Also among the dead was the mother of a senior police inspector who lives on the 12th floor. While the cop managed to escape with other family members, his mother could not and died.

The five deceased, all building residents, are Sunita Joshi (72), Bhalchandra Joshi (72), Suman Joshi (83), Tarla (52) and Laxmiben.