How Swati Garg, Who Lost Her Life to Gurugram Fire, Saved Others

Swati alerted as many as she could after she realised that her building had caught fire.

When Swati realised there was a fire, she alerted as many as she could while climbing to the terrace.

(Photo courtesy: Facebook/Swati Tikekar Garg)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

Swati Garg, a 32-year-old interior designer, died in a fire at Gurugram’s Tulip Orange towers on Monday, 8 October, but not before saving as many lives as possible. Garg, who is survived by her husband and a 4-year-old daughter, died of asphyxiation after she rushed to the terrace to find an escape during the chaos, but found the door locked.

Swati Garg, a 32-year-old interior designer, died of asphyxiation in a fire at Gurugram’s Tulip Orange towers on 8 October.

“Around 2:10 am, Swati knocked my door and said there's a fire. The flames had already reached the third floor. She suggested we go to the terrace. She was ahead of us. Her mother, husband and daughter were also there. I was with my family too,” said Lalita Soni, Swati’s friend and next-door neighbour.

Workers were seen uninstalling the burnt wire shafts in the tower on Tuesday, 9 October.

The fire spread to the top floors after the wire shaft on the ground floor caught fire. Residents couldn’t escape as there was only one set of staircase and the wire shafts are placed there.

Swati died of asphyxiation after she found the terrace doors locked while looking for an escape route.

“We heard some noises around 2 am and woke up. We could see the tower burning. My husband ran to help. I was calling my friends living in the tower to see if they are safe,” said Mona Savlani, a resident of the neighbouring tower and Swati’s friend.

When Swati realised there was a fire, she alerted as many as she could while climbing to the terrace.

Swati Garg climbed to the terrace to find an escape route, but found the terrace doors locked.

While rushing to the terrace, Swati got separated from the rest of the family. While her family and others entered an 8th floor apartment balcony, she rushed to the terrace and found it locked. The smoke had intensified by then, and she couldn’t return.

“We reached the 8th floor and entered a flat. But she was too far ahead and had reached the terrace, I guess,” said Soni.

Annu Bansal, a resident of the neighbouring tower, said the maintenance team of the society is to blame for the mishap and Swati’s death.

The fire that began at the ground floor electric shaft travelled to the top floors.

“People live in societies because they feel safe. Fire extinguishers are equipped on every floor, but what's the use if they don't work when needed? It was night and the fire alarms didn't go off. That is a matter of concern,” said Bansal.

The fire began after electric shafts on the ground floor caught fire.

“If builders are constructing houses, they should be careful. At least the safety norms should be in place. The meters are right in the staircases. So at such instances when the lifts are not functioning and you can’t take the stairs either, what are we supposed to do? You become helpless,” she added.

After the post-mortem, Swati’s body was taken to her hometown Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh for her last rites.

Residents claimed that some of the fire extinguishers installed did not work at the time of mishap.

“Swati alerted everybody on her floor first. There's a guy, her neighbour, who was fast asleep after returning home late. But she made sure that she wkes him up and saved him. The boy is traumatised now that Swati saved his life, but she couldn't save herself. Hats off to her that she sacrificed her life for others,” Bansal said.

Residents claimed that the situation worsened because there’s only one set of staircases in the tower, which is also used as the fire exit.

“She was really helpful and kind. Just a day before the incident, we met on Saturday at a birthday party. I wish we could save her,” said Savlani.

Residents of the high-rise are now deciding upon ways to pay tribute to Swati.

Broken glass pieces can be seen on the terrace where Swati Garg died.

“Navaratri is approaching now. So we are planning to remember her in our prayers in some way by organising a bhandara. We might donate to an orphanage or an old age home in Swati's name so that her memory lives on,” said Bansal.

“We might pay her tribute by making sure that we get regular audits done so nobody else has to meet the fate she has met. Swati's life was lost due to somebody else's negligence. We could avoid that,” added Savlani.