Fire breaks out on 7th-floor at Noida high-rise after AC blast

A fire broke out on the seventh floor of a high-rise building in Sector 137 on Thursday night allegedly due to a blast in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner

A fire broke out on the seventh floor of a high-rise building in Sector 137 on Thursday night allegedly due to a blast in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

Videos of the incident were shared on social media, showing thick smoke inside the apartment. (HT)

Fire officials said no casualties were reported due to the fire, which was brought under control by the maintenance staff. Videos of the incident were shared on social media, showing thick smoke inside the apartment.

“On Thursdaynight, the fire control room received information that a fire had broken out on the seventh floor of Paras Tierea in Sector 137,” the fire department said in a statement. It added that before fire engines could reach the spot, the fire had been controlled by the society’s maintenance staff.

Paras Tierea board of management president Sukhpal Singh Rana said residents came to know about the incident after thick smoke started filling the apartment. “The fire broke out at 9.23pm in the outdoor unit of a seventh-floor duplex apartment. The occupants came to know about the incident after thick smoke started filling the apartment through the copper pipe connected to the indoor unit. They managed to evacuate the floor safely,” he said.

Subsequently, the society’s maintenance staff and security guards reached the spot and managed to control the fire using five fire extinguishers.

“We have trained fire supervisors and fire officers to act in case of a fire emergency. They managed to control the fire before it could spread,” Rana said, adding that they have a fire proximity suit and 950 fire extinguishers. “However, there are still several lapses that we cannot avoid.”

The society has 27 high-rise and 28 low-rise towers with 3,954 apartments. According to Rana, nearly 19,000 people reside there.

He said the fire hydrant system, which the fire department relies on during emergencies in buildings above 12 floors, is not functioning properly.

“The fire hydrant line of the society is damaged. We fear that if any untoward incident happens, it could turn into a disaster, as the high-rise building has 28 floors. We have written letters and sent two reminders to the authorities to conduct a fire safety audit of our society so we can get the issues fixed, but no action has been taken,” he said.

The latest reminder was sent by him to the concerned authorities around a fortnight ago. “The society has fire department NOC valid till 2027 or 2028,” Rana added.

In the last three months, the district has reported more than 100 cases of short circuits and AC unit blasts. The fire department has also issued an advisory regarding AC maintenance during summer.

A fire department official said that timely servicing of AC units is mandatory to prevent such incidents. “Running air conditioners at extremely low temperatures, such as 17°C or 18°C, puts excessive load on electrical systems and can lead to fires. We advise residents to set their ACs at around 24°C during summer,” the official said.

Meanwhile, another fire broke out on the 12th floor of a high-rise building following a short circuit in the indoor unit of an AC in Greater Noida’s Sector 16B on Friday afternoon.

Fire officials said the fire broke out at 4.30 pm after a short circuit in the AC. The house occupants managed to vacate the flat before the fire spread inside the entire flat. “All the furniture in the house was gutted in the fire. The fire was controlled by the society’s maintenance staff before the fire-fighting team arrived,” said a fire official, adding that no casualties were reported.