by THO
A fire broke out Thursday in an apartment within the 16th Avenue society of Gaur City in Greater Noida West in Uttar Pradesh. The blaze started in one of the units on the second floor of the residential complex.
The residents scrambled to evacuate the premises, with thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
A video showed ambulances arriving at 16th Avenue.
Fire brigades from nearby areas have been deployed to assist in extinguishing the flames and ensuring the safety of residents.
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Pramod Kumar, police outpost in-charge of Gaur City 2 of the Bisrakh police station, said, “On 9.40 am, a major fire broke out in the second-floor locked flat of a highrise in 16th Avenue, Bisrakh.”
Three fire tenders from nearby stations rushed to the scene and the flames were brought under control around 11am, Kumar said.
“As the fire station received information from residents, three fire tenders from the surrounding fire station rushed to the spot and doused the flames after two hours of continuous efforts,” said SI Kumar, adding that the fire was controlled around 11 am.
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Initial investigations revealed that the flat owner, Rahul Pandit, was away on a trip to Jammu and Kashmir when the fire erupted. The flat remained locked at the time of the incident.
“Prima facie, it was suspected that the fire broke out due to a short-circuit. However, investigations are under way to find the exact cause behind the fire,” Kumar said.
Pandit’s flat was completely gutted in the fire while some items of the apartment above his got damaged, according to police.
He added that “the fire-fighting system of the highrise worked but as the fire was rapid, fire tenders were called.”
Gautam Budh Nagar, chief fire officer, said, “Pandit left the flat on Wednesday. With the help of the maintenance team, we broke the lock to control the fire.”
