Fire at singer Talat Aziz's Juhu home; wife Bina rescued through bathroom window
Ghazal singer Talat Aziz and four others were treated for breathing trouble after smoke from a Friday night fire filled their duplex apartment in Juhu, Mumbai.
A fire broke out suddenly on Friday night at the Juhu, Mumbai, home of well-known ghazal singer Talat Aziz. Thick smoke spread through the entire duplex apartment, and Aziz and four members of his family developed difficulty in breathing. All were rushed to hospital.
Those admitted included Aziz's wife Bina, sons Shayan and Adnan, and Sikandar Singh. All five were treated at Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital and discharged on Saturday. Aziz is said to have lived in the building with his family for the past four decades.
News of the fire in the five-storey building came at about 10:56 pm on Friday. Preliminary information suggests the fire had spread to the electrical wiring and installations on the ground floor. A sofa and a split air conditioner in the house also caught fire. The Mumbai Fire Brigade reached the spot as soon as it was alerted and brought the blaze under control by 11:58 pm. The exact cause is not yet clear, and officials are investigating.
Aziz described the night. He was downstairs watching television when the fire started, while Bina was on the upper floor. According to him, sparks suddenly came out of the air conditioner in the hall and then it caught fire. Within minutes the flames reached the curtains and the whole house filled with dense black smoke. Nothing was visible in front of them. Aziz kept calling out to his wife to ask how she was.
As it became difficult to stay in the house because of the fire and smoke, Bina went into the bathroom upstairs and called for help from its window. A neighbour then put up a ladder, reached the window and brought her out safely. Aziz said the whole time was terrifying for his family.
Many belongings were damaged. Aziz said some of his harmoniums and many of Bina's paintings were burnt. The family had kept these things carefully for years, so the loss is also an emotional one. Even so, he said the biggest relief is that the family is safe. He thanked the police, the fire brigade and the ambulance team for arriving in time to help, and praised the neighbours as well.
Aziz and his family may stay in a hotel until the house is fit to live in again.
