Kerala Fire Force 2016 batch mourns another death in line of duty; Soni, who died in Kollam rescue, was a calm soul

Kollam: Whenever his phone pings repeatedly at odd hours, Vishnu B, the Fire & Rescue officer (FRO) at Attingal station, feels a sense of dread. In May 2023, he saw a condolence message in the early morning hours, informing the death of an FRO, Renjith JS, who died in the line of duty while dousing a fire at a medical warehouse in Thiruvananthapuram. Since then, messages that pour in during odd hours always unsettle him. Renjith was his batchmate at the Kerala Fire & Rescue Services Academy, Thrissur. On Monday, he lost another batchmate, Soni S Kumar, 36, of Kottarakara station, who died in Kollam while trying to save a woman who had jumped into a well in Neduvathoor. 

"I was posted for an early morning assignment today. I woke up early and was checking my phone. Since Renjith's death, if ever the phone keeps ringing at odd hours, I know something bad must have happened. Today was no different. Every morning, we wake up praying for the safety of each other. In our 2016 batch, this is the second death while being on duty," said Vishnu. After the training, Soni was first posted in Eloor while Vishnu was deployed in Pattimattam. 

Amjith, another FRO, who also belongs to the 2016 batch is a neighbour and friend of Soni. "He was always disciplined and committed. It is not an easy feeling dealing with the deaths of one of our own," said Amjith. Soni is a resident of Elamba in Mudakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.

A heavy sense of loss weighed on the Kottarakara Fire Force Station on Monday morning. Soni joined Kottarakara station in 2022. He was considered one of their best for diving and well rescue operations. The station was flooded with multiple emergency calls due to heavy rain on Sunday night. One of the calls came around 12.30 am from Anakkottoor in Neduvathoor Panchayat: a woman had jumped into a 92-foot-deep well containing about 12 feet of water.

It was pitch dark when the seven-member team from Kottarakara arrived at the site about 15 minutes later. The rain had subsided. The team rushed to the well, located adjacent to a house under construction, and immediately made arrangements to extract the woman, later identified as 33-year-old Archana. She had jumped into the well following an altercation with her partner, 22-year-old Sivakrishnan.

Soni, fully equipped with a breathing apparatus, safety harness, lifeline, and a rope tied around his waist, descended into the well carrying a net to lift Archana. “The well was well over 90 feet deep. Due to the lack of oxygen at the depth, Soni also wore a breathing apparatus (BA). He took all the necessary safety measures. There were no signs showing that the well structure was weak. Our priority was to rescue the woman after she showed signs of life,” said Assistant Station Officer Venu Manikandan.

Sivakrishnan helped shine a light into the well as Soni secured Archana in the net and began ascending. It was then that Sivakrishnan, leaning on the well’s wall, caused the parapet around the well to collapse. Bricks and stones fell on Soni and Archana, and Sivakrishnan also lost his balance and fell into the well.

Soni was pulled out immediately thanks to the rope tied to him. “The rocks from the well had fallen on Sivakrishnan. He had suffered a severe head injury and was declared brain dead on arrival at the hospital,” Venu said. Archana and Sivakrishnan were later extracted with the help of fire force personnel from Kundara and Kollam, but both had succumbed to their injuries.

“He was 100% dedicated, fearless in every situation, and never hesitated to help anyone in need,” said Rahul M, a fellow fire officer. “In my three years with him, I never saw him lose his temper or speak ill of anyone. Soni was a true gentleman and a hero in every sense.”

Soni leaves behind his wife Aswathy, who is a Physical Education Teacher at Government School, Navaikulam, three-year-old daughter Hridya, father Sreekumar and mother Lalitha.