Massive blaze at high-rise guts several flats in Ghaziabad; no casualties

Fire department officials said they received a call at around 8.50am reporting the blaze, after which five fire tenders arrived at the spot. The blaze, they said, appeared to have started from a flat on the ninth floor of Gaur Green Avenue, and spread quickly to the flats on the five floors above. They said that initial investigation suggested as the fire was caused by a short-circuit, but the exact cause will be known after a detailed inquiry.

“The fire started in a flat on the ninth floor and spread to upper floors. Prima facie, it appears to have been caused by a short circuit, but the exact cause will be known after a detailed inquiry, which will take about three days,” said chief fire officer Rahul Pal.

As the blaze intensified, authorities scaled up the response, eventually deploying 17 fire tenders and arranging two hydraulic platforms – one each from Ghaziabad and Noida – designed to tackle fires in high-rise structures. Around 70 firefighters, along with teams from the state disaster response force and district administration, were involved in the operation, officials said.