Psychiatrist, 56, dies after fire at 13th floor apartment in Mumbai's Dadar, cause unknown

MUMBAI: A 56-year-old psychiatrist died after a fire broke out in a rented flat on the 13th floor of a ground-plus-15 storey Raintree Building in Dadar's Hindu Colony Saturday at 8.30am. The deceased, Dr Sachin Patkar, was brought dead to Sion Hospital. However, fire brigade officials were unsure of the cause and have stated that only a detailed investigation would reveal the cause of the fire, which originated in the hall of the flat.
Dr Patkar, who was married to a psychologist, had a flat in Wadala but had taken up the Dadar flat to be closer to his nonagenarian father, Dr A P Patkar, one of the senior-most psychiatrists in the state having headed the psychiatry department in civic-run Nair Hospital decades ago.
The city doctor who died in the blaze at his rented home in Dadar is survived by his wife and children who live at Wadala. His son is studying for MBBS, said a person associated with the doctor.
A fire brigade officials said, "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 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 hospital. Later, his mother, who lives in Hindu Colony, came to the spot," the official added.
A senior psychiatrist said that Dr Sachin Patkar was "bright, pragmatic and result-oriented". He was busy with his private practice ever since he left Masina Hospital in Byculla in 2018. Sion Hospital sources said the doctor's body didn't have any burn injuries, but he seemed to have inhaled smoke and died of asphyxiation. The Matunga police have registered an accidental death case and a probe is on.
Amish Dhume, who lives in the building, said "Initially when residents told us smoke was emanating from the top floors, I thought it might be due to fogging action carried out by BMC. Later, I got down along with my family members, dog and cats from the third floor. However, the fire brigade personnel were quick in dousing the fire."