Gaur Green Avenue fire: Inquiry panel unable to find cause of fire

Ghaziabad's inquiry into a fire at Gaur Green Avenue found no clear cause, citing obstructions that hampered fire response; recommendations made for safety.

Ghaziabad: The committee formed by the Ghaziabad district magistrate (DM) to inquire into the fire at Gaur Green Avenue in Indirapuram stated in its report that the cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

The 13-storey building is adjacent to NH-9 near the UP-Gate border and houses 447 flats. (Sakib Ali / HT)

“It could not be established whether the fire was caused by a short circuit, a cylinder blast, or foul play. The circuit breaker switch in the flat where the fire possibly started was found intact. Therefore, the cause could not be ascertained,” said Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) secretary Vivek Mishra, who headed the committee.

Mishra added that the report has been submitted to the DM, who will give further directions in the matter.

On April 29, a fire in the high-rise gutted eight flats and damaged several others between the eighth and thirteenth floors. No fatalities were reported in the incident. Later, the committee formed to assess the fire’s cause and the issues that hampered fire tender movement during the rescue operation.

“We also checked the high-rise’s layout map. It was found that a wall was constructed between the swimming pool and the parking area. The park’s boundary was also fenced. These obstructions affected fire tender movement. As a general suggestion, the committee recommended that setback areas/driveways should always be kept free for fire tender movement. Fire safety equipment should always be working and managed by trained personnel,” Mishra added.

The 13-storey building is adjacent to NH-9 near the UP-Gate border and houses 447 flats.

When contacted, the RWA members of the high-rise said they will implement the findings/suggestions mentioned in the report.

“We have already started the process of freeing up our open areas in a way that they don’t hinder the movement of fire tenders. There have been old issues related to setback areas and parking in open spaces, and these have been timely communicated to the officials of GDA in the past. Recently these issues were told to them. Regarding the cause of the fire, we supported the committee and the police and gave them the CCTV footage of the day of the incident,” Ritesh Satia, the RWA secretary, told HT.

The committee included the chief fire officer, additional district magistrate, and an officer from the electrical safety department.