Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 8: The personnel of the fire brigade at Kadri here rushed to the help of a family after being informed that a 12-year-old girl who was alone in the family's fourth floor apartment was not opening the door in spite of best efforts of the family members. Obviously the girl had gone into deep slumber. The firemen entered the flat with the help of aerial ladder platform as there was no other way they could reach there, and woke up the sleeping girl. This incident happened in Abhiman Mansion apartment complex on Bejai church road in the city on Thursday June 7.

The firemen, who were aware about the fact that time is of essence in such cases, going by the death of a small girl who had fallen from the eighth floor of an apartment when parents were away recently, rushed to the spot on getting the call. Personnel of both Kadri and Pandeshwar fire brigades put into use the latest aerial ladder platform to rescue the girl after which the worried family members heaved a sigh of relief. The firemen who entered the flat through the balcony door, succeeded in awakening the sleeping girl.

Occupant of the apartment K Raveendra Kumar works as officer in a bank, while his wife also is employed. On Thursday evening, the couple's daughter, Prashansa, bolted the door from inside and went into deep sleep when her mother was away. The mother came back at about 5 pm, and repeatedly rang the doorbell and knocked at the door but there was no response. Worried about the safety of her daughter, she conveyed information to retired police officer, Vinay Gaonkar, residing in an apartment in the neighbourhood. Gaonkar called the fire brigade.

Chief fire officer of the city division, T N Shivashankar, guided the operation comprising four officers and 15 firemen, who completed the task in 20 minutes. The firemen took ten minutes to reach the flat. As there were no occupants in the apartment located in the fifth floor above this apartment, the fire personnel had to use the ladder which was indented from Pandeshwar station.