Urologist braves blaze, smoke to save family
Ahmedabad: As flames devoured their building, a young mother clutched her sleeping children, unsure if they would live to see another day. In the chaos following Thursday's Air India Dreamliner crash, it was not emergency services but a father's desperate dash through fire that saved his family.
Dr Pratik Chaudhary, a urologist at Civil Hospital, lives on the second floor of Atylyam 4 with his wife Himani, their one-and-a-half-year-old son, his elderly parents, and his sister and her three-year-old daughter. At the time of the crash, Himani, both children, her sister, and Chaudhary's father were at home.
"I was just scrolling through my phone while the children were asleep," said Himani. "Then, out of nowhere, there was a loud blast.
Within seconds, we were surrounded by fire and smoke. Everything turned dark. We couldn't see or breathe."
Himani made a frantic call to her husband, who was on duty at Civil Hospital, just 1.5 km away. Chaudhary dashed toward his house. By the time he reached home, the fire had intensified. Grabbing a fire extinguisher and joined by a fellow urologist friend, he fought his way into the building.
"We were holding the children tightly when he arrived," Himani said.
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"He (Chaudhary) led us out through the smoke, one hand holding us, the other clearing the path. We couldn't see anything… but he got us out."
Though worried about the children's exposure to smoke, they were found safe. The little ones have since been sent to their paternal village in Visnagar to recover.
Back at the charred remains of their home, Himani stood in disbelief, salvaging what little was left — a few utensils, kitchen tools, and some bedsheets. "We've lost so much. But we're here and my children are here," she said. "We were saved mainly because of my husband's alertness and bravery. I don't know where we'll go now… but we're alive. That's everything."
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