Heater blast triggers fire in DLF Magnolia, damage worth crores

A fire mishap on Friday afternoon at 21-storey residential complex, Magnolia, in DLF Phase-V gutted assets worth crores, said a district fire department official. Dhananjay Jha reports.

A fire mishap on Friday afternoon at 21-storey residential complex, Magnolia, in DLF Phase-V gutted assets worth crores, said a district fire department official.

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According to the official, refrigerators, television sets, kitchen tools and several other imported articles stored in the basement of the building were destroyed in the fire.

The building is located close to Golf Course gate.

Officials suspected that the fire was triggered due to room heater blast.

“The reason for the fire is not yet clear but we suspect that careless use of electric heater could be the cause,” said HC Sihag, the district fire officer. He added that the blast could have triggered short-circuit too which amplified the impact.

The official said the basement also was packed with building materials stored for the purpose of furnishing of under-construction apartments. The DLF management told fire officials that labourers usually sit in the basement with electric heater on.

However, the DLF security failed to promptly inform the fire department. According to an official, further delay could have aggravated the damage. The fire safety squad arrived nearly half-an-hour after the fire broke out and it took two hours to control the fire with four water tankers and more than a dozen staff.

“We were working in the building when the fire broke out. Our site in-charge ordered us to vacate the building immediately, and we all ran out in panic.”

The official confirmed that the DLF management had got fire safety certificate. However, he is not sure whether the developer has been following all the safety norms.

“We are investigating the matter and can comment only after we get the final report,” said Siddharth Chaudhary, project head, DLF management.