Ghaziabad, June 2 (IANS) A massive fire broke out in a multi-story residential building located in Ghaziabad’s Avantika Colony, Phase-2, during which three pet dogs lost their lives.

During the blaze, four members of the same family became trapped inside their flat; however, the Fire Service safely evacuated them shortly.

Tragically, three pet dogs present in the flat died due to asphyxiation.

According to officials, the Kotwali Fire Station received an alert around 3:09 a.m. on Tuesday stating that a fire had erupted in a flat in Avantika Colony and that several people were trapped inside.

“Upon receiving this information, two fire tenders were immediately dispatched from the Kotwali Ghantaghar Fire Station to the scene. The incident site was located approximately 8 kilometres away from the fire station,” officials said.

They further stated that while on their way, the fire personnel established phone contact with the people trapped in the flat and instructed them to move to the balcony for safety and wait there.

The Chief Fire Officer was also immediately apprised of the incident. Around 3:20 a.m., the Fire Service team arrived at ‘SK Homes,’ a four-story building situated in Avantika Phase 2.

The fire was raging in Flat No. 202, located on the third floor. The flat’s residents — Pawan Sharma (52), his wife (46), their 20-year-old son, and their 18-year-old daughter — were standing on the smoke-engulfed balcony, awaiting rescue.

Under the direction of the Chief Fire Officer, fire personnel deployed an extension ladder to safely bring all four individuals down. Subsequently, a firefighting operation was launched by laying hose lines from both sides of the building. The fire was so intense that the main door of the flat had to be broken down to gain entry.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in the drawing room or near the main entrance. The blaze engulfed the drawing room, kitchen, storeroom, and one of the bedrooms.

After the fire was extinguished and the entire flat was searched, it was discovered that the family’s three pet dogs had perished due to excessive smoke.

No damage was caused to other flats or residents in the building, and there have been no reports of any injuries.

The local police were also present at the scene during the firefighting and rescue operations.

Investigations are currently underway.

–IANS

sd/