Close shave for locals after short circuit triggers fire in highrise

Indore: A major fire broke out on the sixth floor of Indore Development Authority's (IDA) residential building in Scheme Number 136, near Niranjanpur early Monday morning. While the blaze caused significant property damage, no casualties were reported as residents managed to evacuate the building in time.The fire started around 6 am in the flat of Ravi Malviya. Fire department ASI Sushil Dubey said Malviya and his wife were in a separate room when the fire erupted in another part of the flat. The cause is suspected to be a short circuit triggered by a massager that had been left on overnight.Upon noticing the smoke, Malviya immediately alerted his neighbours, ensuring that everyone evacuated the multi-story building safely.The flames were so intense that they reached the balcony of the seventh floor, destroying belongings kept there. Firefighters had to connect over six pipes and climb the building's internal stairs to reach the sixth floor. It took approximately one and a half hours and 10,000 liters of water to fully extinguish the blaze.The incident exposed critical safety lapses. Although the building is equipped with a fire safety system, the equipment was inaccessible during the emergency.Local MLA Ramesh Mendola visited the site alongside IDA officials to inspect the damage. Mendola directed the IDA CEO Parikshit Zade to ensure strict compliance with the Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, emphasising that fire safety equipment must be regularly inspected and kept functional to prevent future tragedies and ensure immediate relief during emergencies."Resident Welfare Association of the building called Harsingar has recently been formed," Zade said, adding that the residents will soon be given training to use fire safety equipment installed in the building.