AC blast sparks fire on 15th-floor flat in Indirapuram housing society

Ghaziabad: A split air-conditioner blast triggered a fire on the 15th floor of a flat in Shipra Srishti Society in Indirapuram on Tuesday afternoon. Four fire engines contained the blaze in under 30 minutes, officials said.

The fire department received the call at around 4.30 pm, following which a unit from the Vaishali fire station was dispatched. Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said the fire was confined to one room of the flat and no injuries were reported.

Residents told TOI that Jagriti Kishor, a teacher living on rent with her family in the flat, went out and switched on the bedroom AC upon returning home. Finding it malfunctioning, she turned it off. When she switched it on again, the unit exploded and caught fire. She escaped the flat and immediately alerted the society’s maintenance staff.

“The society’s fire equipment was in working order, which is why more than 50% of the fire was controlled by extinguishers installed on the premises even before the fire department engines arrived,” the CFO said.

The episode comes amid a broader fire safety audit by the fire department. In the past 15 days, officials inspected more than 165 housing societies and found safety violations, including non-functional or missing equipment, encroachments and blocked access for fire tenders, in several areas. Notices have been issued to more than 43 societies for fire safety lapses.