12 shops gutted, 16 flats damaged in fire at Noida’s Sec 75 Gardenia Golf City

Twelve shops were gutted and about 16 flats damaged after a fire broke at a shop in the Golf City Circle Mart of Gardenia Golf City in Noida’s Sector 75 early Thursday morning

Twelve shops were gutted and about 16 flats damaged after a fire broke at a shop in the Golf City Circle Mart of Gardenia Golf City in Noida’s Sector 75 early Thursday morning.

Noida, India - November 18, 2021: A view of a fire accident site, at Gardenia Golf City, in Sector 75, Noida, India, on Thursday, November 18, 2021. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) **To go with Shafaque's story**

Police said residents safely evacuated from the 16-storey towers of the housing complex as soon as the fire started and no one was injured. However, the value of the goods and property damaged is yet to be ascertained.

According to developers of the housing project, there are 1,026 flats in 13 towers, of which 650 flats are occupied. Residents have been living here since 2017 and the shops too became operational around the same time.

Vikram Singh Yadav, president of the society’s market association, said there are 43 shops and departmental stores on the ground floor. “A security guard spotted the fire in a shop around 4am Thursday. The guard immediately alerted police and other officials. Residents swiftly evacuated the flats,” said Yadav.

A spot visit by HT showed that 12 shops in a row were gutted. The flames also spread upwards and reached up to the eighth floor of two towers, partially damaging 16 flats.

The Aims Max Gardenia Developers is currently looking after the maintenance of the society. Basant Kumar Upadhyay, general manager, Gardenia Golf City, said the fire originated from a snacks shop on the ground floor.

“The security guards first tried to extinguish the fire but they failed as it quickly spread. The guards then broke the shop’s shutter, and the air from outside facilitated the spread of the fire to the other shops,” said Upadhyay.

He said only three shops were gutted while others suffered minor damages. “As the flames spread upwards, the windows, DTH antennas, and air-conditioners of a few flats in towers I and J were damaged,” he said.

HT spoke to a few shopkeepers, who said each of them has incurred losses to the tune of ₹5-6 lakh.

Sushila Gautam, a sweet shop owner, said her shop was gutted in the fire.

“My staff closed shop at 10.30pm on Wednesday and went home. Around 7am on Thursday, someone informed me about the fire. I have no idea what to do now,” said 65-year-old Gautam, who had been running the shop for two years.

Afzal Ahmad, owner of Looks Salon, said he owned two shops and one of them was damaged by the fire.

Residents said fire tenders reached the spot around 5am, an hour after the fire broke out.

Sanjeev Singh, fire safety officer, Noida 1, said the fire department received a call at 4.35am.

“We reached the spot in 20 minutes. Eight fire tenders brought the fire under control in half an hour. It seems that a short circuit in the snacks shop led to the fire. Thankfully, no one was injured,” he said.

Residents have expressed concerns over the safety of the housing complex.

“This is a serious safety concern. Mostly, the shops are run by workers and not by the shop owners. There is no security check for them. The concerned officials should conduct a safety audit of the shops,” said a resident of the housing complex requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, developers of the housing complex said they are repairing the flats. “We are replacing the windows and other things that have been damaged. We have also called a meeting with the shopkeepers and residents on Saturday to discuss the issue and take safety measures,” Upadhyay said. Vinod Kumar, station house officer of Sector 49 police station, said he has not received any complaint regarding the fire incident.