AC blast causes fire in Lotus Boulevard home

Noida: A blast in an indoor unit of an air conditioner caused a fire in a flat in Lotus Boulevard in Sector 100 on Thursday morning. There were no casualties and the flames were doused by the society’s own emergency team before the fire fighters arrived.Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Choubey said they received a call about the blaze around 10am.“The society president informed us about the fire. Four to five fire tenders from nearby stations were rushed to the spot within minutes. But by then, the society’s own security team and residents had brought the flames under control with their own equipment,” he added.The fire broke out in a 10th-floor flat in Tower 28. “The three-member family living there ran out. But the entire bedroom was gutted because of furniture, curtains and other inflammable material,” Choubey said.Videos circulated on social media showed flames leaping out of the windows and balcony along with thick plumes of black smoke.Komal, who lives in the adjacent tower, was in the kitchen of her flat when she heard an explosion. “I rushed towards the window and saw flames coming out of a flat in Tower 28. The fire had broken out in their bedroom. I could see the curtains and furniture going up in flames one by one. The AC was on fire too. I started shouting for help at the top of my voice,” she told TOI.According to Komal, the flames were doused in about 25 minutes. “Residents of the upper floors started splashing water. The society’s maintenance team also fought the flames and brought them under control before the fire tenders arrived,” she said.The blast in the AC sparked concern among residents, especially at a time when the cooling device has been running relentlessly in almost every household to beat the punishing temperatures.“It’s quite scary to say the least. Fortunately, the blaze was controlled in time. But according to information I received, the fire sprinklers in the flat did not work, which is a cause for concern. After all, it is the first source of fire safety. I’ll urge the fire department to initiate an investigation into this,” said Vipin Kumar, another resident.Prabhakar Bhardwaj, the society’s AOA president, said the emergency team responded early by switching off all electricity and gas supplies.“Our on-site fire extinguishers and hose pipes were put to use too. By the time the fire fighters arrived, the blaze was already under control. All safety equipment worked well,” he added.According to Bhardwaj, a short circuit in the AC’s indoor unit caused the fire. “An investigation is underway to find out the actual cause. We will issue an advisory to residents accordingly,” he added.The chief fire officer lauded Boulevard’s security team and residents for their prompt response. “It’s because of them that the flames could be contained well in time. Consequences could have been far worse otherwise. The society’s systems functioned properly. They were upgraded during a recent safety drive conducted by us,” he said.Over the past two months, Choubey said, fire awareness drives were carried out in about 300 housing societies in Noida.The officer, however, had a word of caution for residents. “With the rising mercury, ACs are overworked in almost every household. We have been urging residents to get their devices serviced. We will also advise people against running their ACs through the night and day. These appliances should be switched off when there’s nobody in the room,” Choubey added.
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