Bipin Ganatra: India 'fire chaser' awarded

Bipin Ganatra, a volunteer fire-fighter who was featured
 in a series from India last year, has been given a prestigious government award.

Mr Ganatra has been awarded the Padma Shri, the
 fourth highest civilian award for "rescuing people 
whenever there is fire, often putting himself in danger".

He told the  AP that he "just wanted to continue doing his work" in the eastern city of Kolkata.

Mr Ganatra has attended more than 100 fires over
 four decades.

The 60-year-old was featured in Unsung Indians, 
an India  series on people working to improve the lives 
of others.

A school dropout who worked odd jobs before
 becoming a volunteer fireman, Mr Ganatra has 
doused flames, rescued people and cleaned up debris.

He has been described as a "fire-chaser": he hunts fires
 by watching news on his TV all day and night.

Whenever news breaks of a blaze, he calls up the fire 
Brigade headquarters, gets into a taxi and goes to the site.

"I am an ordinary person and am completely overwhelmed
 by the news. I don't want to make it a big issue. I just 
want to continue doing my work," Mr Ganatra told the 
AP on Thursday.

"I worry whether I will be able to honour the award.
 It is such a big responsibility".

There were more than 1,600 fires in Kolkata in 2015, 
leaving 143 people dead and 974 injured.

The city's 1,258 firemen are among the most overworked
 in India. Mr Ganatra is also seldom out of work - he
 has attended as many as three fires in a single day.

Earlier this week, Mr Ganatra entered a burning 
warehouse in central Kolkata through an entry in the 
ceiling and helped remove plastic goods stored there.

"He's a very spirited and brave man. For someone who
 has no formal knowledge of fire-fighting, he does a very
 good job. He is like a guide to our firemen, and he uses
 our equipment. He works almost like a professional 
now," a senior fire service official told the AP last year.