4 min readMumbaiMay 21, 2026 10:11 PM IST
A 42-year-old firefighter died while attempting to rescue a trapped security guard after a massive fire tore through the Gaondevi vegetable market near Thane railway station in the early hours of Thursday, leaving over 155 vendors displaced and two other fire personnel injured.
The deceased were identified as Sagar Suryakant Shinde (42), a station officer with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) fire brigade, and Kalu Shankar Gadekar (55), a security guard posted at the civic ward office housed in the same building.
The blaze erupted around 3.30 am on the ground floor of the Gaondevi sabji mandai, a densely packed market located in the busy station area. While the market occupies the ground floor, the first floor houses the TMC ward office, where Gadekar became trapped as thick smoke rapidly engulfed the building.
“When the fire broke out, smoke spread quickly to the upper floors. Gadekar managed to call a friend and inform him that he was trapped. The fire brigade was alerted immediately, and while trying to rescue him, firefighter Sagar Shinde lost his life,” said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Thane Regional Disaster Management Cell.
The inferno sent dense plumes of smoke across the neighbourhood as civic authorities deployed three fire engines, two rescue vehicles and a water tanker to douse the flames. Firefighters struggled for more than nine hours before bringing the blaze under control around 12.30 pm.
Senior civic officials said the exact cause of the blaze remains unknown. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)
Two other firefighters Sujeet Pate (45) and Sameer Jadhav (40) sustained injuries during the operation and were admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa.
Following the operation, Shinde’s body was taken to the Nitin Company fire station, where last rites were performed with full honours in the presence of senior political leaders and civic officials. Family members broke down as tributes poured in for the officer, remembered by colleagues as a dedicated firefighter who died in the line of duty.
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Gadekar’s remains were later transported to his native village, Gadekarwadi in Pune’s Ambegaon taluka.
Senior civic officials said the exact cause of the blaze remains unknown and that the TMC has initiated an inquiry and safety audit to determine what triggered the fire.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thane MP Naresh Mhaske and TMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao held an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon and announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
Addressing reporters later in the evening, Shinde said jobs would also be provided to the next of kin of both victims. The civic body additionally announced Rs 1 lakh compensation for the injured firefighters.
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The blaze devastated the market, displacing 155 vendors operating from the premises. Civic authorities have temporarily relocated them while restoration work begins at the site.
“Painting and electrical repairs will be completed before vendors are moved back,” a senior civic official said.
Hanumant Jagdale, leader of the house in the TMC, directed officials to install upgraded firefighting systems before reopening the market. Officials said efforts were underway to restore operations by June 1 and that compensation for damaged stalls was also being considered.
In the wake of the tragedy, Eknath Shinde announced that all civic markets in Thane would undergo urgent fire and structural audits.
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“We have discussed this with the TMC commissioner and will begin audits of all Thane markets at the earliest,” he said.
