Second fire in a month burns down part of biz complex, nearby flat

Ghaziabad: A fire suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit tore through a section of Gaur Biz business park in Indirapuram late on Wednesday, blackening parts of the commercial complex and damaging a flat in adjoining Gaur Green Avenue — the same residential cluster where a major blaze had ripped through multiple homes on April 28.The fire, reported at 11.52pm, began in the building’s basement meter room and raced upward through electrical wiring and wooden panelling, sending flames and smoke up to the top floors and sparking panic across the neighbourhood. No one was injured.The ground floor and basement of Gaur Biz house outlets such as Dominos and Bikanervala, while the upper floors are used as Gaur Group offices. Officials said the offices were shut because maintenance work was underway, which meant employees were not inside when the fire broke out.Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said his team found “a massive blaze” in the building’s exterior elevation, where woodwork and cables had caught fire, filling the structure with smoke. “Three teams were formed immediately. Hosepipes were laid and firefighting began at once. As the offices were shut, the locks were cut open, and one team wearing breathing apparatus broke through the rear wall to continue operations. Other teams fought the flames from the front,” he said.As the blaze intensified, more fire engines were called in from Kotwali and Sahibabad, along with a water bowser and an articulating tower from Noida. Ladders were used to enter the premises. In all, 12 fire tenders were deployed. The fire was brought under control in about an hour, after which cooling operations continued.Sudhanshu Kumar Tiwari, general manager (planning) at Gaur Group, confirmed that the fire started in the basement meter room after a short circuit and spread to the third floor through electrical wires and wooden fittings. He said the server room on the third floor was damaged and some files were destroyed.“More than 20 fire extinguishers were used. A hydraulic platform was also called from Noida as a precaution, though it was not eventually used. It took more than an hour to douse the flames,” he added.One flat in Tower E of nearby Gaur Green Avenue was damaged in the blaze. Residents in adjoining flats used pipes to spray water and prevent the flames from spreading further. Officials said 15 to 20 air-conditioners exploded in the commercial building during the fire.A Dominos employee said the outlet remained shut on Thursday, though the fire did not damage the shop’s interior. Bikanervala resumed operations.Wednesday’s fire revived concerns in Gaur Green Avenue, where a blaze tore through Tower D on April 28, gutting eight flats across five floors, damaging several others and injuring at least 10 persons. More than 20 residents were rescued then.After the previous fire, the department said tenders had struggled to reach the block because of a park boundary wall, vehicles parked in open areas and encroachments. It had also flagged PVC sheets used to cover balconies, saying they helped the flames spread faster.