Fire at Zirakpur hotel, no casualty

Zirakpur, September 18

The top floor of a private hotel on the Old Kalka Road was gutted this afternoon.

Flames engulfed the fifth floor of Hotel Royal Galaxy around 2 pm as steady wind fanned the fire. A few staff members escaped just in time. No loss of life was reported in the incident. Fire tenders reached the spot to control the flames and restrict further damage to the building.

Locals said it seemed that the fire spread from the kitchen area. Panic spread in the highly populated area. The five-storey building is situated on the roadhead and in vicinity of other high-rise buildings.

Gas leak trigger?

• Sources said the fire broke out due to leakage from an LPG cylinder in the kitchen built with a temporary shed on the top.
• Panic spread in the highly populated area as the five-storey building is situated on the roadhead and in the vicinity of other high-rise buildings.

Sources said the fire broke out due to leakage from an LPG cylinder in the kitchen built with a temporary shed on the top.

MC officials were checking whether the building owner had required permission to run a hotel here and operate a kitchen on the top floor.

Seeing smoke coming from the hotel, Fire Officer Jaswant Singh of the Zirakpur Fire Station, who was traveling from Chandigarh to Dera Bassi in his private vehicle over the flyover, immediately alerted his colleagues at the Fire Brigade office on VIP Road.

Probing if owner obtained fire NOC

We are probing whether the hotel owner has obtained the NOC for fire safety from the department. After an investigation, action will be taken against him under the municipal bylaws. —Jaswant Singh, Fire officer

“Two fire tenders reached the spot within a few minutes of receiving the information. The firemen reached the kitchen through the stairs and took about half an hour to douse the flames. We are probing whether the hotel owner has obtained the NOC for fire safety from the department. After an investigation, action will be taken against him under the municipal bylaws,” the fire officer said.

The building is built on the Old Kalka Road, on which the Municipal Council demolished many shops and houses last month following an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, declaring it illegal. Fire officials said the reception area was near high-tension wires.