Fire at banquet hall in Vasundhara, 65 rescued safely

There was a wedding function going on in the basement and at least five people were in the hotel rooms on the second floor.They were evacuated safely with the help of ladders while those in the basement were recused and brought out through the emergency exit doors

The fire department on Saturday afternoon safely evacuated about 65 people from a hotel and banquet hall in Vasundhara’s Sector 3, after a fire broke out there following a short-circuit and started spreading fast.

Firefighters try to douse the fire that broke out at Kinsfolk Inn hotel and banquet hall in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, on Monday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The fire department was alerted at 2.10pm on Saturday and it rushed four fire tenders to the spot to douse the fire, fire and rescue services personnel said, adding that no one was injured in the blaze that was brought under control in about an hour.

The officials said the banquet hall is located next to a high-rise and comprise basement, ground and two upper floors.

“The fire started possibly due to short circuit in between the first and second floors and was spreading. There was a wedding function going on in the basement and at least five people were in the hotel rooms on the second floor.They were evacuated safely with the help of ladders while those in the basement were recused and brought out through the emergency exit doors. In all, about 65 persons were safely evacuated from the building,” said Rahul Pal, chief fire officer (CFO).

“After the fire call, several of our firemen reached the site and took help from the firefighting systems at the high-rise. The water pipes from the high-rise helped us control the fire even before the fire tenders arrived. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short-circuit, probably resulting from the installation of decorative lighting and cables laid in between the first and second floors of the building,” the CFO said.