Greater Noida:A fire broke out at a mall in Greater Noida West on Friday, causing panic among shopkeepers and visitors. No injuries were reported and staff brought the fire under control before it could spread, said officials.
Fire officials said a short circuit in LED lights around an artificial tree on the ground floor likely caused the fire.
“On Friday morning, a fire broke out at a mall in Gaur City 2, Greater Noida West. The mall staff doused it and no alert was sent to the emergency helpline,” said Ajay Kumar, fire officer, Ecotech 3.
The fire department later inspected the site and found that the LED lights around an artificial tree had short-circuited, Kumar added.
Officials said the incident triggered panic among shopkeepers and visitors. “We have conducted a mock drill and instructed mall security to remain alert and inform emergency services in case of any incident,” an official said.
A fire also broke out at a movie theatre during the screening of Ramayana in Greater Noida West on Thursday.
“The theatre evacuated the hall and the staff extinguished the blaze using a fire extinguisher. The projector’s wiring caught fire due to an electrical load,” said Ajay Kumar, fire officer.
Ahead of Diwali, the fire department has stepped up its preparedness across Gautam Budh Nagar district. Temporary deployment points have been identified to help fire engines respond quickly.
“We have identified 17 locations across Noida and Greater Noida where fire engines will be temporarily deployed. All firefighters’ leave has been cancelled and they have been put on alert,” said Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, chief fire officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.
According to a fire department official, the district currently has nine fire stations — five in Noida and four in Greater Noida. The five fire stations in Noida are in Sector 2, Phase 1, Phase 2, the Expressway area and Sector 58. The four stations in Greater Noida are located in Surajpur, Ecotech 1, Ecotech 3 and Knowledge Park.
Officials said the district also has a fleet of 30 fire engines with varying capacities and four hydraulic platforms with a maximum reach of 42 metres and four firefighting motorbikes.
