Noida: A fire broke out on the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment in Sector 137 on Thursday due to a suspected short circuit in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner. The maintenance team of the housing society managed to extinguish the flames before a team from the fire department arrived on the spot.Residents were present in the flat when the fire broke out but managed to escape. No casualties were reported in the incident. The exact cause of the fire will be determined after a probe, a fire official said.He said the fire department received information that a fire broke out at Paras Tierea late at night. Fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the location but by the time they arrived, the society’s maintenance staff had already brought the fire under control, preventing it from spreading to adjacent flats.Fire officials said as per their investigation, the blaze originated in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. The society staff’s efforts to contain it helped avert a major accident.Videos of the incident surfaced on social media, showing dense smoke billowing from the apartment tower. The incident has once again highlighted how high-rise societies remain prone to AC-related fires.Officials said Noida has witnessed a sharp rise in electrical fire incidents over the past three months. More than 100 cases of short circuits and air-conditioner unit blasts have been reported across the district, prompting the fire department to repeatedly issue public advisories on electrical safety and AC maintenance.An official stressed that many such incidents can be prevented through routine servicing and responsible usage of cooling appliances. He warned that operating air conditioners continuously at very low temperatures, such as 17 degrees Celsius or 18 degrees Celsius, places excessive load on electrical systems and increases the risk of overheating, short circuits and fires.Residents have been advised to service their AC units regularly and ensure that the wiring system is in good condition. Officials also recommended keeping AC temperatures at around 24 degrees Celsius during summer to improve efficiency, reduce electrical load and minimise the risk of fire-related incidents.
