Ahmedabad: Developer’s quick thinking saves lives

AHMEDABAD: Office workers in the Timber Point building where a fire broke out on Wednesday, owe much gratitude to a quick-thinking 25-year-old software developer.

Although alarmed by the thick smoke in the building, he acted quickly and saved himself and others.
Ankit Patel, a resident of Shashtrinagar, first broke down a locked door to the terrace, helping his 130 colleague get up and into the fresh air.He then went back down and started breaking windows to make way for the smoke to get out.
“When I saw the smoke, I was scared at first but thought of finding a solution to clear the smoke. I found one spade in the building and broke window glasses to allow the smoke to clear. However, while breaking the windows, I too stopped being able to see anything and stayed at one this place, from where fire personnel helped me leave the building,” said Patel. Patel had already broken open the terrace door so that trapped people could wait for rescue in the fresh air.
Patel’s colleague, Jigar Bhanushali, hailed his efforts and said that he was quick in his actions. “We thought we were going to die. Some people even started calling their families, but due to Patel’s efforts, we could find a way to save ourselves,” said Bhanushali.