Ghaziabad: In a dramatic display of courage and quick thinking, residents of a Ghaziabad housing society were forced to battle a massive blaze themselves after fire brigade equipment reportedly failed to reach the upper floors of the building where flames had spread rapidly.
The fire broke out on Wednesday morning at Gaur Green Avenue society in the Abhay Khand area of Indirapuram, sending thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors and triggering panic across the neighbourhood. Initial reports said the blaze started inside a flat before spreading to nearby apartments on higher levels.
As firefight
ers struggled to contain the flames, residents took matters into their own hands. Videos shared online showed people in neighbouring towers using water hoses connected to their own homes to spray water toward the burning flats. Some residents leaned out from balconies and windows, trying to slow the fire’s spread while smoke filled the air.
Ghaziabad Chief Fire Officer Rahul Pal, according to a India Today report, said there were no casualties and all those trapped were safely evacuated. According to him, the fire affected around five to six flats between the ninth and eleventh floors. He added that some of the units were locked while others were occupied.
Senior journalist Ajit Anjum, who lives in the same apartment complex, was seen in one of the videos—that’s gone viral on X—helping residents coordinate efforts. He said fire brigade vehicles at the scene did not have ladders, elevators or cranes capable of reaching the top floors, forcing residents to improvise from nearby apartments.