Since the hotel is air-conditioned, windows were all sealed. The firemen had to start by breaking the glasses. “We communicated with the guests trapped inside to come wherever there were windows. After breaking the glasses, they were brought out from the panes,” Sawant said.

The firemen said that working under the NSG was a first for them.

At Oberoi, the terrorists had set up fire on the first floor and ran upstairs with hostages. As the firemen reached to douse the fire, grenades were hurled from the top. “Though there is not much damage at Oberoi, dousing the fire was the most difficult part. Had the fire not been curtailed on time, it could have gone upwards and engulfed the entire hotel,” said deputy chief fire officer, P Rahangdale.

Terrorist’s mobile found
While the firemen were dousing the fire and carrying the rescue work, terrorists who spotted them decided to target them. Seeing that they were spraying water on the fire they had set, a terrorist hurled a grenade where Sawant and joint chief fire officer P Rahangdale were standing. “But they had not fully removed the pin of the grenade and it did not explode. While throwing the grenade, the mobile which he was carrying fell on the ground. One of the firemen saw the phone and handed it to me. The screen had Urdu description. It has been given to the police for investigation,” Sawant said. The terrorists also shot a bullet and punctured the tyre of fire engine. Another grenade thrown by them injured driver Mohan Taware. —ENS