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Ghaziabad Fire: 2 Dead in Apartment Block Inferno
6 Mar
Summary
- A late-night fire in Ghaziabad's Khoda colony killed two residents.
- Flames blocked exits, forcing residents to use ropes and bedsheets.
- The building lacked fire safety clearance, officials confirmed.
A catastrophic fire engulfed a five-storey apartment building in Khoda colony, Ghaziabad, late on Monday night, March 3, claiming the lives of two residents and critically injuring their daughter. The blaze, suspected to be caused by an electrical short circuit, quickly spread, trapping approximately 150 residents. Many resorted to desperate measures, using ropes and knotted bedsheets to descend from balconies to escape the suffocating smoke and intense heat.
Firefighters heroically rescued about 120 people, with 25 hospitalized, three remaining in serious condition. The victims, Rajendra Prasad (54) and Meenu (52), succumbed to severe burns. Investigations revealed the building, constructed in 2019, operated without the mandatory fire safety clearance, a critical lapse that authorities promise to address with legal action.
Experiences during the fire varied, with some residents hiding in bathrooms while others, like one father, wrapped children in bedsheets to lower them to safety before jumping himself. The narrow lanes and close proximity of buildings in Sangam Vihar's Birbal Nagar area complicated rescue operations, highlighting the challenges in densely populated settlements.
