Noida: Still reeling from the deaths of 21 people at a Delhi bed-and-breakfast accommodation earlier this week, the city found itself on edge again on Friday as a major fire broke out on the 12th floor of a 28-storey tower at Ivy County in Sector 75, sending thick smoke into the sky and triggering panic across the condominium. Fortunately, it didn’t, with the society’s staff and the fire department acting promptly to rescue the family in the affected house — a couple and their two child.Seven fire tenders were deployed. But as with the April 12 fire at Gaur Green Avenue in Indirapuram, the jet sprays from the fire engine on the scene did not seem to reach the 12th floor.According to residents, the fire broke out around 7 am in flat 1204 of Tower B-2, likely triggered by a short circuit in an air conditioner. As flames spread rapidly through the flat, dense smoke filled the upper corridors, sending scores of families rushing down staircases and through lift lobbies to safety.
One of the biggest challenges was burning debris falling from the flat and threatening to ignite balconies on lower floors
Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey said the society’s maintenance staff had activated the in-house fire safety system even before firefighting teams arrived, a response he credited as critical in containing the blaze to just one flat. Maintenance and fire personnel worked the hydrant network within the complex, connecting hose pipes to tackle the fire while continuously cooling adjacent areas.One of the biggest challenges, firefighters said, was burning debris falling from the flat and threatening to ignite balconies on lower floors. With the risk of vertical spread is real — at Gaur Green Avenue, fire had raced up five floors, gutting eight flats — teams deployed cooling operations around adjoining apartments. A hydraulic platform was also positioned as a precaution for upper-floor evacuation, though officials said all residents had already exited safely.The fire was brought under control in under an hour. No injuries were reported, though the flat was completely gutted, with furniture, appliances and household belongings destroyed.
A video, recorded by a resident and shared on social media, appeared to show that water jets were able to spray only as high as the fifth floor while flames raged on the 12th
The incident, however, has once again put NCR’s firefighting preparedness back in the spotlight. A video, recorded by a resident and shared on social media, appeared to show that water jets were able to spray only as high as the fifth floor while flames raged on the 12th, drawing swift criticism from political leaders and the public alike.Fire officials, however, pushed back. CFO Chaubey explained that water was being directed from ground level deliberately to prevent sparks and falling debris from igniting lower balconies. He added that the effective operational reach of a manual hose line, combining hose length and jet throw, is 100 metres.However, the maximum reach of hydraulic cranes in Noida remains 42 metres, or roughly 14 storeys, officials confirmed. Atop a hydraulic ladder, a water stream can extend a further 10 to 15 metres — approximately three additional floors — depending on water pressure. For a city where premium condominiums routinely rise to 25 to 30 storeys, that arithmetic leaves a significant portion of every tower beyond the reach of ground-based firefighting.
