2 days Ago By Gitesh Shelke
Pune: It was his first day at work on Sunday for Santosh Hegde. But the 24-year-old died after a fire broke out in the tea stall he was working in in Dhankawdi off Satara Road. Two other garment shops were partially damaged.
Pune fire brigade officials said that those employees quickly rushed out. Senior inspector Rahul Goud of Sahakarnagar police told TOI, "There were two employees in the tea shop, but one managed to leave the shop before the flames engulfed it. Hegde failed to rush out.
" The employees of one of the garment shops saved themselves too, Goud added. "A preliminary analysis of the shop revealed that there was a gas leak and later a short circuit caused the fire. Hegde, a resident of Solapur, died of severe burns," he added.
A process to register a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the tea shop owner was initiated after he neglected the safety of his employees, Goud said. Station fire officer Sunil Naiknaware told TOI, "Hegde was heating the milk on a gas stove when the fire broke out. There were three gas cylinders in the shop and one of them had a leak.
We took out all the cylinders from the shop before they could burst. He added that the shop's entrance was narrow and Hegde moved to the back of the shop near the washroom, but the flames spread quickly and he sustained burns. The shop did not have proper ventilation, Naiknaware said.
Three fire tenders reached the spot and extinguished the flames. Goud said, "We have yet to record the statement of the other tea shop employee. There were customers in front of the shop, but they all ran away after the fire broke out.
The shop does not have seating inside," Goud said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with EID Wishes , Messages and quotes !.
