Daijiworld Media Network – Vita

Vita, Nov 10: Tragedy struck Savarkar Nagar in Vita town on Monday morning when a massive fire broke out at the Jai Hanuman Steel Centre, claiming the lives of four members of a family. The blaze, believed to have been triggered by a short circuit, erupted around 8.30 am at the shop owned by Vishnu Pandurang Joshi.

The deceased have been identified as shop owner Vishnu Pandurang Joshi (47), his wife Sunanda Vishnu Joshi (42), their daughter Priyanka Yogesh Ingle (25), and granddaughter Srushti Yogesh Ingle (2). The incident has sent shockwaves through the locality, as all four belonged to the same family.

On noticing smoke billowing from the shop’s shutter, neighbours rushed to inform the fire brigade. Initially, locals tried to douse the flames, but the fire soon spread rapidly, engulfing the three-storey building. The Vita Municipal Council Fire Brigade arrived promptly and began firefighting operations with the help of alert residents.

The Joshi family lived on the upper floors of the same building that housed the shop on the ground floor. As the fire intensified, six family members were reportedly trapped on the second and third floors.

Due to closely packed residential structures in the area, fire control and rescue efforts were severely hampered. By around 10 am, additional fire tenders from Kadegaon Nagar Panchayat, Kundal Factory, Udgiri Factory, Palus Municipality, and Tasgaon Municipality — a total of six fire engines — were deployed to bring the blaze under control after prolonged efforts.

Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire, while the town mourns the loss of the Joshi family in what is being described as one of Vita’s most tragic incidents in recent memory.