Fire at La Residentia: Alert residents, security saved the situation

Greater Noida (west): An incident of fire was reported from La Residentia, a highrise in Techzone-4 area of the city, on Sunday night. Thanks to timely action by alert residents and security staff, the blaze could be doused before it could cause any damage to lives and property. 

The incident took place in a flat on the ninth floor of Tower 2 at 8:30 pm. It was the children of the house who first noticed the fire in the balcony and reported to their parents. Soon the security staff rushed to the spot immediately after being alerted. 

They (the staff), along with the residents, notably Bijoy Tripathy, an ex-defence officer and a member of Owners Welfare Association (LAROWA), engaged in firefighting till the flames were put out. 

How was the fire brought under control, and what is there to learn from the experience?

The first thing that Tripathy and the security staff did was to evacuate the flat and switch off the miniature circuit breaker (MCB) to contain the fire. 

Next, they closed the lift as any heavy electrical machinery could help spread the fire.  

After taking the precautions, They put out the fire with the help of firefighters. Once done with it, they went on to do an electric check to ascertain that the fire didn't reach the flat’s wiring.

Talking to CitySpidey, Tripathy revealed that the fire was ignited by a diya (earthen lamp) kept close to plywood furniture. Eventually, it reached the cable network of an air conditioner and thereby blasted the compressor.

At least ten people, including children, noticed the fire when owners of the house were away. 

Tripathy is responsible for the security of society. As a representative of the residents he organises workshops for the society’s security staff from NASIS securities. On Saturday, a training session for disaster management was held for the staff.

During the emergency, the police response was also prompt. On being alerted by the residents, Nirala Chowki in-charge, Sonu Kumar, reached the spot without losing time.