Overview
- A pre‑dawn fire at the Gaondevi vegetable market on May 21 killed Thane fire station officer Sagar Suryakant Shinde and municipal security guard Kalu Shankar Gadekar and gutted about 155 stalls.
- A ‘brigade call’ mobilised multiple fire engines, jumbo water tankers and teams from across the region and left several firefighters injured, with Sujit Pashte and Sameer Jadhav hospitalised for smoke inhalation and burns.
- An April 7, 2025 inspection had warned of critical safety gaps at the two‑storey complex, citing blocked escape routes, unauthorised garment stalls next to electrical rooms and unrefilled fire extinguishers.
- Thane Municipal Corporation and state leaders announced Rs 10 lakh ex‑gratia for each bereaved family, Rs 1 lakh for the injured, compassionate jobs and a plan to rehabilitate all affected stallholders at the site by June 1 after audits and repairs.
- Officials suspect an electrical short circuit as a possible cause, a formal probe and immediate electrical and structural audits are under way, and the findings could prompt wider market safety reviews and accountability measures across Thane.