Greater Noida mall fire ahead of Diwali prompts district-wide fire safety alert

The mall fire, the second blaze in Greater Noida West in two days, comes as the fire department stations engines at 17 locations ahead of Diwali.

A fire at a mall in Greater Noida West on Friday morning, the second such incident in the area in two days, has put the spotlight on fire safety ahead of Diwali, prompting the fire department to step up its preparedness across Gautam Budh Nagar.

The blaze, reportedly caused by a short circuit in decorative LED lights around an artificial tree on the ground floor of the mall in Gaur City 2 (Video grab)

The blaze, reportedly caused by a short circuit in decorative LED lights around an artificial tree on the ground floor of the mall in Gaur City 2, triggered panic among shoppers and shopkeepers but was extinguished before it could spread, with no injuries reported.

Ecotech 3 fire officer Ajay Kumar said, “The fire was doused by the mall staff, and no alert was made to the emergency helpline.”

“We have conducted a mock drill and instructed mall security personnel to remain alert and immediately inform emergency services in case of any such incident,” an official said.

However, this was not an isolated fire incident in Greater Noida West. On Thursday, a fire broke out at a movie theatre in the area during the screening of the film Ramayana.

Fire department on alert

In view of the upcoming Diwali celebrations, the fire department has stepped up its preparedness to tackle fire emergencies across the district. Temporary deployment points have been identified to ensure the swift availability of fire engines.

“We have identified 17 locations across Noida and Greater Noida where fire engines will be temporarily stationed. Besides, all holidays for firefighters have been cancelled, and they have been put on alert,” chief fire officer of Gautam Budh Nagar Pradeep Kumar Chaubey said.

According to a fire department official, the district currently has nine fire stations — five in Noida and four in Greater Noida.

The five fire stations in Noida are located in Sector 2, Phase 1, Phase 2, the Expressway area and Sector 58. The four stations in Greater Noida are situated in Surajpur, Ecotech 1, Ecotech 3 and Knowledge Park.

The district has a fleet of 30 fire engines of varying capacities, including high-, medium- and low-capacity vehicles. In addition, the department has four hydraulic platforms with a maximum reach of 42 metres and four firefighting motorbikes.