Mohammed Zubair, an autorickshaw driver from Vinayaka Nagar, was hurrying towards the madrasa for namaz on Friday afternoon when he saw black smoke billowing out of the ground floor of the building. He immediately called 101, alerted people in the neighbourhood and ran into the building to help evacuate those inside.
Fire personnel, who arrived within half-an-hour, confirmed that they were alerted by Zubair.
Another person, Javed Pasha, a 20-year old welder, helped rescue a woman and two children from the terrace. “I knew that a family lives on the terrace,” he said.
Witnesses said he climbed up to the terrace of an adjacent building and jumped onto the terrace of the building that was on fire.
“The buildings are only a few feet apart. I helped them jump to safety,” said Pasha.
Power supply to the area was disconnected as precautionary measure.
