Mumbai Renowned Psychiatrist suffocates to death after fire breaks out in residential building

Mumbai: In an unfortunate incident, a renowned psychiatrist died of suffocation after a fire broke out in a 15-storey residential building in Mumbai’s Dadar area on Saturday morning, a fire official said.

The fire started in flat number 1302 on the 13th floor of the Raintree building at Hindu Colony around 8.30 a.m. The apartment was stuffed with household materials and locked, the official said.

The fire brigade arrived at 8:44 a.m. and extinguished the fire by 9:06 a.m. Though the fire was brought under control in half an hour, a resident of the building, Dr Sachin Patkar became unconscious due to the smoke, the official said.

The official said he was rushed to the civic-run Sion hospital where doctors declared him dead.

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Two fire engines, a water tanker and other firefighting equipment were pressed to douse the fire. The exact cause is yet to be determined, he added. 

Dr Sachin Patkar was a well-known Psychiatrist, who practised in Mumbai since 20yrs. He completed his graduation and post-graduation with distinction from the reputed King Edward Memorial & G.S Medical College, Mumbai.

He was a Gold Medalist at the Diplomate of the National Board (DNB) & M.D. He along with his wife Dr. (Mrs.) Varsha Patkar specializes in Counselling and psychotherapy.

Dr. Patkar pioneered the concept and execution of the PICU (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit) & was the head of the unit at the Masina Parsi Hospital in Mumbai. It is the first institution of its kind to be recognized by the Medical Council of India as a private secure facility for psychiatric patients.

The firemen who brought the fire under control and rescued the doctor informed TOI, "After we reached the spot, we found the door and the safety door shut. Residents of the building did not know if anybody was present inside the flat. So, we broke open the safety door and the door using rescue equipment. Even as we laid the water lines through the staircase, we simultaneously used the supply lines of the firefighting system, which was functional. It had enough pressure and managed to douse the fire. Though the fire gutted the AC unit, curtains and a dining table, it had not spread to other rooms..."

"After we entered the flat, we found the doctor, who lived alone in the rented flat, lying on the floor unconscious in the bedroom. The bedroom door was partially open. We moved him to the hospital. Later, his mother, who lives in Hindu Colony, came to the spot," the official added.

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