Narrow bylanes hinder firefighters to rescue family in Loni

The about 8 to 10 feet wide inner lanes, leading to the house, blocked movement of fire tenders and other fire-fighting equipment to the site

Ghaziabad: A densely populated locality of Kanchan Park in Ghaziabad’s Loni witnessed the death of a woman, her two sons and a nephew after a blaze erupted at their four-storey house early Sunday. Fire officials, however, said despite promptly rushing three fire tenders, the small bylanes leading to the house on fire prevented the vehicles from reaching the spot.

Locals said that they initially responded and tried every possible means to douse the fire and rescue all the eight members of the 10-member family trapped on the third floor. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The about 8 to 10 feet wide inner lanes, leading to the house, blocked movement of fire tenders and other fire-fighting equipment to the site. The fire probably started around 6am, and the fire and the police received calls around 7am, they said.

To be sure, the Kanchan Park locality has a dense population with thick, unplanned housing development.

“It is a feature in almost all the localities in Loni that have dense populations and no planned housing development. In-house factories are also a cause of concern. When the movement of fire tenders got hindered, we joined the hoze pipes to about 400-500 metres and reached the house on fire. Along with locals, two side walls of the house were broken with hammers to get inside. Four injured were pulled out, but they probably died by then,” said Rahul Pal, chief fire officer.

Pal said that though the exact cause of the fire remains to be ascertained, maybe a short circuit on the second floor sparked the fire.

Official figures of the fire department show that 1,607 fire incidents were reported in Ghaziabad in 2024 against 1,068 in 2023; 1,103 in 2022; and 931 in 2021.

“The fire started from the in-house factory, and the material stored there also caught fire immediately. A woman and three minors died,” said Suryabali Maurya, assistant commissioner of police, Loni.

Locals said that they initially responded and tried every possible means to douse the fire and rescue all the eight members of the 10-member family trapped on the third floor.

“It was about 6.30am when we heard about the huge fire. Small pipes run with submersible pumps also did not provide any help. Finally, the fire department came in and doused the fire after breaking the walls,” said Mohammad Junaid, a neighbour.

The house belongs to two brothers, Shahnawaz and Shamshad, who are married to two sisters, and both couples have two children each. Their parents, Mohammad Farukh and Shakeela, lived on the ground floor and escaped unhurt.

Mohammad Shad, the brother-in-law of the deceased woman, said: “Both my brothers were operating a stitching factory with machines installed and material stored on the second floor. The fire probably started around 6am on this floor and reached the third floor, where eight of my family members were sleeping. All the doors and channels on the third floor were locked from inside, and they could not open these due to fire. The fire started as early as 6am. All four who survived still have difficulty in breathing due to fumes they inhaled, and they are still in a state of shock.”