Is our society a tinderbox? 2 fires in a month leave Gaur Green Avenue residents on edge

Ghaziabad: “JE sahab light kato, Gaur (Green Avenue) mein phir aag lagee hai (a fire has broken out in Gaur again. Mr JE, please cut the power supply),” a nervous Padmakar Jha wrote on the community WhatsApp group as most others slept around Wednesday midnight.Jha, the AOA president of neighbouring Arihant Altura in Abhay Khand 2 that shares its boundary wall with Gaur Green Avenue, was among the first to spot the fire and dashed to the complex.“I’m constantly on edge now,” said Alok Ranjan Ojha, a resident of Gaur Green Avenue and a member of its RWA, reflecting the mood in the society that has seen two big fires within a month. “Any small spark makes me jump. I can’t sleep at night and keep checking my home and electrical equipment to ensure nothing is heating up,” said Ojha.The complex has implemented various safety measures since the April 29 fire, including awareness programmes, inspections of electrical equipment, and installation of two coolers for each diesel generator to prevent overheating. But residents remain tense. Several have subscribed to house insurance and procured fire extinguishers of two to four litres for their homes. “A four-litre extinguisher costs about Rs 850 and a two-litre one around Rs 650. Many residents are purchasing from a vendor within our society,” said Ojha.However, PK Seth, a retired bureaucrat living in the complex, said that small extinguishers were futile against fires of this scale. “A fire extinguisher cannot tackle a big fire. We need to be vigilant and engage in periodic checks of all electrical equipment, which heat up during excessive heatwaves,” said Seth, who lives in a low-rise unit in Tower E, next to Tower D where about five flats were damaged and 13 affected in the April 29 fire. The complex has 447 units across four towers of 13 floors each, with some low-rise units.Some residents have turned to superstition, believing two major fires in less than a month to be a bad omen, while others urged their neighbours to focus on fire safety protocols instead. “There is fear that fire might spread to nearby societies as well, as we share a boundary wall,” said Jha, who has initiated electrician visits in his society to check switches, sockets and plug points. “For ACs, we have asked people to place MCBs instead of switches. Power cables should have no joints, gas pressure in the AC should be checked, and the temperature kept between 24 and 26 degrees,” he said.Jha has also requested society management to keep terrace access unlocked at all times, since fire spreads upward. “Hose pipes, water pressure and water tanks should be checked regularly. An additional DG should be on standby so power can be arranged in case of supply failure,” he said.The RWA, meanwhile, is arranging insurance for the outer structure of the complex, while roughly 15 to 20 residents have already insured their individual flats and household items. “It is very nominal — about Rs 4,000 for a property worth one to two crore. It is a necessity in today’s urban living,” said Ojha. A relief fund created for residents whose flats were damaged has collected Rs 13 lakh so far, with a committee assessing repair costs and disbursing amounts to willing residents.Rajiv Wadhwan, former AOA president of Gaur Green Avenue, said the incidents had brought renewed attention to electrical safety in high-rises, where AC units and gas leaks due to excessive heating are frequent triggers. “We are telling everyone to watch their electrical appliances. Drills are being conducted along with checks on alarms and equipment, which have been carried out five to six times since April 29,” he said.