Fire audit thwarts major fire at Noida high-rise: CFO

As the fire was reported, the IGL gas line was switched off and electricity to the entire floor was snapped with the help of the society’s security team and residents

Noida: After a fire broke out at a flat on the 10th floor of Lotus Boulevard society in Noida’s Sector 100 on Thursday morning, fire officials said the society’s robust firefighting mechanism helped contained the fire in a timely manner.

Fire officials said the perfectly functional firefighting mechanism at the society was the result of repairs carried following a fire audit this April. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

They said the perfectly functional firefighting mechanism at the society was the result of repairs carried following a fire audit this April.

Lotus Boulevard was one of 370 high-rise societies in Noida and Greater Noida where a fire audit was carried out, said the fire department. Firefighting measures were found faulty at 125 high-rises, leading to a case being filed against 77 societies for not complying with fire norms, officials said.

After the fire was reported at the society’s 30-storey tower on Thursday, the IGL gas line was switched off and electricity to the entire floor was snapped with the help of the society’s security team and residents.

“In the fire audit of Lotus Boulevard, some firefighting measures were found faulty, which the apartment owners’ association (AOA) was asked to fix,” said chief fire officer (Gautam Budh Nagar district) Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, adding that this helped in dousing the fire within 30 minutes on Thursday.

The officer said during the audit, a fire preparedness drill was carried out to educate maintenance and security staffers as well as residents.

“We also exchanged numbers with the AOA and the maintenance, security staff of the society. All these measures turned fruitful on Thursday as the fire department was immediately informed by the maintenance staff,” said Chaubey.

“The firefighting officers used the society’s firefighting equipment to douse the fire completely. Within 30 minutes of reaching the spot, the fire had been doused,” he said.

A prompt action from the staff of the society and residents also helped curb the fire, said AOA president Prabhakar Bhardwaj.

“The fire was reported promptly by the security team and vigilant resident. All emergency protocols were followed…Our on-site fire extinguishers and fire hose pipes were deployed and the security and firefighting team immediately doused the fire without losing much time and well before the fire brigade reached the site. Fire hose pipes at the floor worked well and were instrumental in controlling the fire within the crucial time,” he said.