UP: Fire breaks out in residential building in Ghaziabad, officials say few people trapped

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 23 (ANI): A sudden fire broke out in a residential building in Ghaziabad's Friends Avenue, Shakti Khand 2, Indirapuram, sending panic waves through the community on Tuesday.
The blaze, which started in a temporary structure on the balcony of a flat, was quickly brought under control by fire tenders. Firefighters from Vaishali Fire Station arrived promptly and extinguished the fire within 45 minutes.

According to officials, a few people were trapped inside the building. Chief Fire Officer Rahul Kumar said, "Information was received at Fire Station Vaishali at 8.30 pm that a fire broke out in Divya Apartment in Shakti Khand 2 and that a few people are trapped here. 5 fire tenders from Vaishali Fire Station, 2 more vehicles that were on duty were also rushed here... A temporary structure built on the balcony of 5-6 Flat had caught fire. People had vacated the building. We immediately started firefighting operations and extinguished the fire in 45 minutes...No injuries have been reported."
Despite the chaos, no injuries or fatalities were reported, thanks to the timely evacuation of residents. The five fire tenders were stationed from the Vaishali Fire Station.

Meanwhile, some residents point fingers at individuals who burst firecrackers, others deny the allegations, citing a lack of evidence.

"...My flat was the first to catch fire. A firecracker hit my inverter. There is a man, Jitender, who lives a little far from here. He was bursting crackers below our building...Another man from my building, Rajiv was bursting crackers with him. RWA president Ashok Tyagi told them not to do it, but they fought with him. At the end, there was a fire here. It started in the inverter on balcony. I tried to douse the flames using a fire extinguisher but the flames were too massive for it. The fire spread to my entire house and then to the entire building. No casualties were reported though...," said a resident Deepak Tyagi.

"I live on the third floor of the building. I don't know what happened. We were at our home and having food with our children after the puja. People have made different statements but nobody can make allegations against anyone just like that. My husband's name is Rajiv. I live here, so I cannot burn down this building. Another man whose name has been taken cannot do this either because his brother lives here. False statements have been made...," said another resident. (ANI)