Two killed in Noida building fire, 50 residents evacuated safely

Two people died, and around 50 residents were evacuated after a massive fire broke out in a ground-plus-four residential building in Mamura village, Sector 66, Noida, on Wednesday, police said.

The blaze started in the morning and quickly engulfed parts of the multi-storeyed structure, triggering panic among tenants in the densely populated building. The fire was later brought under control, and around 50 tenants residing in the building in Mamura village in Sector 66 were evacuated safely. The landlord was arrested after an FIR was registered against him at the Phase-3 police station under relevant provisions of law.

Fire tenders and police teams rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after a sustained operation. According to officials, the deceased have been identified as a man and a woman. Both were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Police said two residents — a man and a woman — who were rushed to the hospital were declared dead by doctors. The woman has been identified as 22-year-old Sneha Srivastava.

Officials said she had suffered around 40 per cent burn injuries. The identity of the deceased man, aged around 30 years, was yet to be established. He had sustained nearly 80 per cent burn injuries. The building housed around 50 tenants.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Noida, Rajiv Mishra, said the building had around 10 to 12 rooms on each floor, which were being used as residential flats. Most tenants are migrant workers and students who live in the area because of its proximity to IT offices in Sectors 62 and 63.

“As soon as we received information about the fire, senior police officers, fire department teams, and ambulances arrived at the scene. The fire was brought under control. Around 50 tenants residing in the building were evacuated safely,” Mishra said. Rescue personnel used ladders and conducted door-to-door checks to ensure no one was trapped inside.

Eyewitnesses said smoke billowed from the upper floors, and many residents jumped out with their belongings to safety. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police are still looking into what caused the fire. Early reports point to a possible short circuit, but officials are considering other possibilities as well.

The fire appears to have been sparked by an electric two-wheeler being charged inside the building. It spread to nearby petrol-powered two-wheelers parked in the premises, Mishra said.

Seven fire tenders and a hydraulic platform were rushed to the spot immediately after the blaze was reported, and most residents were safely evacuated.

“Two persons, who already had health-related issues, fell ill after inhaling smoke and were shifted to the district hospital by ambulance,” Mishra told reporters.

Residents recounted scenes of panic as smoke rapidly engulfed the building following the blaze.

Arnab Singh, a 25-year-old resident living on the second floor, said that many initially did not take the incident seriously, as they believed the fire, which started after a short circuit, was confined to an electric scooter and would die down on its own.

“When smoke started billowing out, we rushed out of the building. A little later, we saw the fire spreading and realised that several petrol-powered motorcycles parked nearby had also caught fire,” he said. Singh claimed there was no dedicated charging point for electric vehicles in the building and that the scooter was being charged through a regular electrical socket, which was also used to operate a water pump.

“It could have caused the short circuit that triggered the fire,” he alleged.

Another resident, Ravi Kumar Singh, said he was asleep in his room around 11.30 am when his roommate alerted him about the fire.

“Soon our room filled with smoke. We realised the blaze below had intensified and ran towards the terrace,” he said.

According to him, several residents escaped by climbing onto the roof and crossing over to a neighbouring building using a ladder, as thick smoke had filled the stairways inside the building. After reaching safety, they saw that a massive fire had engulfed the parking area on the ground floor, he said.

Ravi Kumar Singh said part of the building was being used as paying guest accommodation, while the remaining portion comprised 2BHK flats rented out to families. The ground floor was being used as a parking area where residents parked their two-wheelers.