Noida shopping complex fire: 18 injured; 1 stairway blocked by blaze, another locked, many jumped from windows

NOIDA: An explosion in an air conditioner's compressor triggered a fire in an eight-storey building in the bustling Sector 18 market on Tuesday morning, forcing panic-stricken occupants to jump from windows to escape the billowing smoke.
Police said 18 persons were injured in the incident — three of them with critical stages of burns. According to cops, the fire broke out in a property dealer's office on the ground floor of Krishna Apra Plaza around 11.30am. Black smoke accompanied by leaping flames quickly engulfed the eight-storey commercial building, trapping around 300 employees working in various offices.

"There was a sudden explosion. Within minutes, thick smoke started spreading from the ground floor. People were screaming for help and running here and there," recalled Vipul, a youngster from Bihar who currently works at a nearby mobile shop.

The situation turned more desperate as smoke left occupants of the upper floors with limited options to escape. With one stairway blocked by fire and another reportedly locked, many resorted to breaking windowpanes and jumping from heights of up to four floors.
"I saw at least six persons jumping from the building. They had no choice – it was either jump for their lives or suffocate to death," said Manohar, a local shopkeeper who witnessed the chaos unfold.
Emergency services responded swiftly, with the fire brigade arriving within minutes of receiving the distress call at 11.48am. Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey led a team of 40 firefighters who — along with local police — launched a rescue operation.
"Five fire tenders were deployed immediately, followed by three more. The flames were contained within 10 minutes, but the rescue operation was challenging because of the thick smoke that had engulfed the entire building," Chaubey added.
The rescue effort — which involved a hydraulic lift apart from the eight fire tenders — successfully evacuated around 170 people from the building.
Additional commissioner of police Shiv Hari Meena, who supervised the operation along with DCP Rambadan Singh, said, "Our teams conducted a thorough floor-by-floor search, checking every store and shop to ensure no one was left behind. People who were unconscious because of suffocation were rushed to hospital. The chief medical officer (CMO) will examine their condition."
The injured were rushed to Kailash Hospital, District Hospital, and Vinayak Hospital. Three victims – Kishore, Abhinav, and Vikas – who jumped from the upper floors, were being treated for critical injuries. A female colleague — Inayat — who also jumped, was treated and discharged.
The nearby buildings were evacuated as well as a precautionary measure, while three police teams worked to control the growing crowd of onlookers.
"Water was sprayed on adjacent buildings to prevent the fire from spreading," said Golu, a juice vendor who has his stall near Krishna Plaza.
Although the blaze hardly spanned 10 minutes, the incident sparked panic in the market area — often referred to as the ‘Connaught Place of Noida' — because of the sheer number of visitors and questionable safety measures adopted in buildings.
Although initial investigation suggested that the fire started from a short circuit, officials later confirmed it was triggered by an AC compressor explosion. Authorities said they were also examining the building's fire safety compliance. "We are investigating the fire NOC (no objection certificate) status of the building," additional CP Meena said.
The building's fire readiness has come under scanner too, particularly the locked roof access and limited exit points that complicated the evacuation process, officials said.