Ghaziabad: At least six trucks gutted, farmhouse damaged in two major fires

Fire officials said it is suspected that nearby garbage dumps had caught fire, which then spread to the parked trucks near Raj Bagh Metro station; the front portion of a farmhouse, which also served as a banquet hall, was gutted in the blaze in Raj Nagar Extension

A massive fire broke out near the Raj Bagh Metro station in Sahibabad on Thursday afternoon, destroying at least six trucks. Thanks to the swift response of the fire department, 29 other trucks were saved just in time. Fire officials said it took 10 fire tenders more than two and a half hours of relentless effort to extinguish the blaze and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The banquet hall on fire in Raj Nagar Extension on Thursday afternoon. Two vehicles were also gutted in the fire that is believed to have started from a short-circuit. (Sakib Ali /HT Photo)

The area alongside GT Road houses several offices and loading zones of private transport firms, with trucks typically parked along the roadside, fire officials said.

The fire department received an alert at 1.04pm and immediately dispatched a fire tender to the scene. However, as the flames spread, additional tenders were rushed in from Loni, Vaishali, and a private company.

“We deployed ten tenders to douse the fire. Six trucks suffered damage, five of which were laden with goods and materials, including cosmetics, cables, utensils, grease oil, toys, and clothing. We also evacuated residents from around 15 houses in the vicinity. It took us more than two and a half hours to bring the fire under control,” said Rahul Pal, chief fire officer (CFO).

Fire officials said the exact cause of the blaze remains undetermined, but locals reported that nearby garbage dumps had caught fire, which then spread to the parked trucks.

The CFO added that, in addition to the fire at Raj Bagh, another major incident was reported from Raj Nagar Extension.

Fire officials said the Raj Bagh fire was reported just 10 minutes after the Raj Nagar Extension incident. The front portion of a farmhouse, which also served as a banquet hall, was gutted in the blaze, suspected to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit.

“We dispatched three fire tenders to contain the fire, and firefighters took over an hour to bring it under control. The front portion of the banquet hall was damaged, while a car and a small commercial vehicle were also destroyed. A generator sustained partial damage,” Pal said, adding that the department received a total of seven fire alerts on Thursday, though no casualties or injuries were reported.

Fire officials expect the number of fire-related incidents to rise as summer reaches its peak.

According to the fire department, 931, 1,103, and 1,068 fire-related calls were recorded in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. In 2024, the department received 1,607 calls, with 769 (47.85%) reported during the peak summer months of April, May, and June.