Panic grips Sector 50 residents as fire breaks out near underground gas pipeline

Methane gas was found high after testing the area. It is suspected that methane from the sewer line caught fire, said chief fire officer Pradeep Choubey

An underground fire in Sector 50, Noida, led to panic among residents in the area on Monday as the fire could be seen through an opening on the main road. As per the officials, the fire was spotted by a housekeeping staff of Swarnjayanti Rail Nagar Society in A1 Block, Sector 50, after which police and personnel from the fire department reached the spot.

A flame can be seen in a hole on the road. Residents of the area received a message from IGL stating that gas supply will remain disrupted till 1 pm. (HT Photo)

V Prakash from the society Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) informed the police at 7.30 am about the fire. “The plumber of our society, who was on his way to work, noticed flames coming out of a small hole on the main road. It was near the underground gas pipeline. He informed the RWA after which the police was informed. Later, the fire department came to the spot and doused the fire. We suspect it to be a gas leak,” said Prakash.

Gautam Budh Nagar Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Choubey said, “As soon as the information was received, a fire tender was rushed to the spot to douse the fire. People thought that the fire broke out due to a gas leakage. We asked the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) officials to check the leak”.

Residents of the area received a message from IGL stating that gas supply will remain disrupted till 1 pm.

“Messages about the underground fire due to a possible gas leak were circulated in society groups after which we got worried. I left for work and asked my wife to vacate the house and take the children to a relative’s place until the issue was resolved as we were worried about a potential mishap,” said Pallav Sharma, a resident of Sector 50.

According to an official from IGL, they could not find a leak in the area after checking. “By 2 pm, the temporary gas supply was put in place to avoid inconveniencing residents. The fire was near the IGL’s underground gas pipeline but there was no evidence of a gas leak,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

CFO Choubey said that the opening in the road from where the fire was spotted was checked for gases. “Methane gas was found high after testing the area. It is suspected that methane from the sewer line caught fire. However, nothing can be concluded until the final report,” he said.

At the time of filing this report, a possible gas leak was still being checked. However, no new fire has been reported.

Dumping ground in Sec 105 catches fire

Meanwhile another fire broke out at the dumping ground in Sector 105, Noida, on Sunday night, which was doused almost 16 hours later on Monday afternoon.

“The fire was reported around midnight after which six fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Fire and smoke had spread widely across the 300-metre area due to high winds. There was nobody in the area so no injuries were reported,” said the CFO.

The large fire led to massive smoke in the area causing fear among residents. “Firefighters were working all night to control it. They had difficulty dousing it due to the dense smoke. It was only by 4 pm on Monday that the fire was completely doused,” said Chaubey.