Palghar firefighters break through house wall to rescue trapped 70-year-old man

The midnight trap

Firefighters in Maharashtra's Palghar district have rescued a 70-year-old man who became tightly wedged in an incredibly narrow gap between two residential properties. The rescue took place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Bhimai Nagar area of Navli, Palghar. The man, identified as local resident Vinod Vishnu Jadhav, had somehow slipped or fallen into the space between the two concrete structures.

The gap between the walls of the two houses measured less than a foot wide, leaving Jadhav with virtually no room to move, turn, or free himself. It remains unclear how Jadhav first managed to get stuck in the gap in the early hours of the morning, as authorities have not yet shared the events leading up to the incident.

Breaking the wall

When a team from the Palghar Fire Brigade arrived, they immediately saw that a conventional rescue was out of the question. The space was simply too tight to pull him out vertically or horizontally from either end of the passage. Trying to drag him through the rough, narrow gap ran the risk of causing him severe injuries.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the rescue crew decided on a more drastic approach. They chose to break through one of the house walls. Using breaching tools, the firefighters began chipping away at the masonry of one of the homes to create an emergency hatch. Once they had carved out a sufficiently large opening, they were able to reach Jadhav, stabilise him, and carefully pull him sideways through the newly made hole to safety.

Taken to hospital

Once freed, Jadhav was immediately transferred to Palghar Government Hospital to be assessed and treated by medical staff. Officials have not released specific details about his injuries, but the primary focus was on ensuring he did not suffer from crush injuries or severe dehydration.

The rescue was carried out by a dedicated team from the local fire service, including leading fireman Ruchit Davane, driver Nilesh Patil, and firemen Sanket Patil, Rupesh Pamale, and Mohanish Pagdhare. A video of the operation, which has since circulated on social media, shows the team working closely together in the tight space, communicating with Jadhav as they cleared the debris to reach him.