Surat: Eight people, including a 100-year-old woman and two children, were rescued after a major fire erupted in a 12th-floor apartment at River View Heights, a high-rise residential society in the Mota Varachha area of Surat, on Sunday.The building also houses Gujarat minister of state for health Praful Pansheriya, whose residence is on the first floor. It was not clear if the minister was present in his house when the fire broke out. The blaze in the upper-floor flat sparked panic among residents as thick black smoke billowed through the building.About 15 to 17 fire tenders along with a hydraulic platform were pushed into service to douse the fire.Firefighters used ladders and the hydraulic platform to evacuate residents stranded in two flats as smoke spread through the high-rise. No injuries were reported in the incident.Five members of the Mendapara family were rescued from flat No. 1301. They were identified as Nakuben Mendapara (100), Viral Mendapara (33), Rinkal Mendapara (34), Param Mendapara (9) and Kiyanshi Mendapara (5).Three members of the Vanpariya family were rescued from one of the flats. They were identified as Nilesh Vanpariya (42), Kundanben Vanpariya (47) and Pooja Vanpariya (22).Firefighters brought the blaze under control after more than two hours of intensive firefighting.The flat where the fire started suffered extensive damage because it had heavy wooden furniture and interior work. Chief fire officer Basant Parikh told TOI: “A short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, though the exact cause is yet to be established.”
