India, June 30 -- A fire that broke out in a 21st-floor apartment at Aranya Society in Sector 119 on Monday morning destroyed household belongings worth lakhs and reignited concerns over fire safety measures in high-rise residential complexes. The blaze, suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit in an outdoor air-conditioner unit, erupted around 9 am in flat 2105, owned by 60-year-old Suresh Kumar Mahajan. Within minutes, flames engulfed a bedroom and spread along the exterior of the tower, while thick smoke filled nearby floors. Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and firefighters managed to contain the blaze before it spread to adjoining apartments. Smoke, however, entered at least four neighbouring flats, forcing residents to evacuate via stairwells. The building remained inaccessible for nearly an hour after the fire was brought under control as emergency inspections were carried out. Also Read - SIR of voter list kicks off in Delhi; CM Rekha Gupta calls it 'yajna of democracy' Mahajan said his family escaped only because his elder daughter noticed the smoke while everyone else was asleep. "She woke us up in time. Had she delayed even a little, the outcome could have been tragic," he said. The fire gutted the apartment, destroying furniture, electronics and household items. Mahajan estimated the losses at Rs 15-20 lakh, adding that jewellery and other valuables bought for his daughter's upcoming wedding were also damaged. "Everything we had collected over months is gone. We couldn't even save our wallets," he said. Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey said preliminary findings suggest an electrical short circuit in the AC unit may have triggered the blaze. A detailed inspection will determine the exact cause, he said, adding that firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to other flats. Several residents alleged that the building's fire alarm and automatic sprinkler systems failed to operate during the emergency. One resident also claimed there were no functional firefighting water lines in the tower.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.