20230511 Owners away, short circuit leads to fire in Indirapuram flat; doused in an hour & a half
India May 11 2023 “Apartment houses” “Building”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Owners away, short circuit leads to fire in Indirapuram flat; doused in an hour & a half
Updated: 2023-05-11
GHAZIABAD: A fire broke out in a flat in a highrise in the Supertech Icon society in Nyay Khand 1 of Indirapuram on Tuesday evening. There were no injuries, and fire officials said they suspect a short circuit in the AC led to the blaze.
At the time, flat owner Chandrashekhar and his family had gone out for work. Chandrashekhar works with a pharma company in the city and lives with his wife and children in the flat on the 5th floor of Tower E.
A video of the fire on social media shows flames and smoke engulfing at least two rooms of the flat. When the blaze reached the balcony, residents of a nearby tower saw it and alerted the society maintenance team and the fire department.
Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said the fire broke out at 6.45pm on Tuesday, and residents informed them about it at 6.50pm. After that, three fire tenders reached the site to douse the flames.
“A team of 15 fire officials reached and tried to douse the flames. It took them over one and a half hours to bring the fire under control because it surrounded the room, ‘puja ghar’ and kitchen,” he said.
“According to an initial inquiry, a short circuit in the AC in the room started the fire. When it happened, Chandrashekhar was at his office while his wife had gone out for work with her children,” he said.
As soon as the news of the fire spread, the maintenance staff disconnected the electricity to the tower. A security guard and some residents helped people on the 5th floor get out of their flats.
“The fire safety systems in the society were in working condition and sounded an alarm as soon as the fire broke out. The maintenance team tried to douse the flames using fire safety equipment on the society premises. After two fire brigades reached the spot, we completely extinguished the fire using water dispensers,” said the CFO.
Ranjeet Kumar, a resident, said that all residents panicked after hearing about the fire. But the maintenance team, jointly with some residents, helped rescue everyone from the tower. “The fire officials also reached and controlled the situation well,” he said.
“It was our responsibility to evacuate them safely. At least 20 staff members from the maintenance team and security guards evacuated people. With the electricity cut, we took them down via the stairs, the safest option,” he said.
Web Source: The Times of India