A fire, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, broke out at Gaur Biz business park in Indirapuram late Wednesday night, charring parts of the commercial complex and damaging a flat in the adjoining Gaur Green Avenue residential cluster. The same area had witnessed a major blaze on April 28 that gutted multiple homes.
The fire was reported at 11:52 PM and originated in the building's basement meter room. It rapidly spread upward through electrical wiring and wooden paneling, sending flames and smoke to the top floors and causing panic among residents. No injuries were reported.
The ground floor and basement of Gaur Biz house outlets such as Dominos and Bikanervala, while the upper floors serve as offices for the Gaur Group. Officials stated that the offices were closed due to maintenance work, ensuring no employees were present when the fire started.
Chief Fire Officer Rahul Pal said his team encountered a massive blaze in the building's exterior elevation, where woodwork and cables had ignited, filling the structure with smoke. Three teams were immediately formed. Hosepipes were laid, and firefighting commenced. As the offices were locked, teams cut the locks open, and one team wearing breathing apparatus broke through the rear wall to continue operations. Other teams fought the flames from the front.
As the fire intensified, additional fire engines were called from Kotwali and Sahibabad, along with a water bowser and an articulating tower from Noida. Ladders were used to gain entry. In total, 12 fire tenders were deployed. The fire was brought under control within 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 due to a short circuit and spread to the third floor through electrical wires and wooden fittings. 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 called from Noida as a precaution but was not eventually used. It took over an hour to douse the flames.
One flat in Tower E of nearby Gaur Green Avenue was damaged. Residents in adjoining flats used pipes to spray water to prevent the flames from spreading further. Officials reported that 15 to 20 air-conditioners exploded in the commercial building during the fire.
A Dominos employee said the outlet remained closed 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 on April 28 tore through Tower D, gutting eight flats across five floors, damaging several others, and injuring at least 10 people. More than 20 residents were rescued then.
After the previous fire, the fire department noted that tenders had struggled to reach the block due to a park boundary wall, parked vehicles, and encroachments. It also flagged PVC sheets used to cover balconies, saying they helped the flames spread faster.
