Noida, Ghaziabad high-rise societies facing high fire risk

Days after a fire gutted eight luxury flats at Gaur Green Avenue in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram area, a Tribune ground investigation has thrown up several gaps in fire response systems across high-rise apartments of Delhi-NCR.

The Wednesday blaze in Indirapuram had damaged multiple homes, revealing how fire-fighting mechanisms are struggling to match the rapid vertical growth of cities such as Ghaziabad and Noida.

The Tribune correspondent surveyed the area today and found that in Ghaziabad, where residential towers rise up to 40 floors in areas like Indirapuram, Vaishali and Raj Nagar Extension, the fire department’s primary ladder reaches only 12 to 14 metres, roughly the fourth floor.

The contrast is most visible in Noida. The city has at least 25 skyscrapers exceeding 150 metres, with projects such as Supernova Spira expected to reach 300 metres. However, the tallest firefighting ladder available can extend only up to 42 metres, or about the 14th floor, leaving higher levels beyond the reach of rescue.

At the site of the fire at Gaur Green Avenue, these limitations were evident. Fire tenders could not access the building directly and were stationed about 100 metres away. Residents from neighbouring towers used an in-house fire system in an attempt to control the flames, highlighting the lack of immediate response capability from the public machinery system.

NOFAA (Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations) groups have questioned how such buildings receive safety approvals. “There is so much vertical growth in the city, and we live in the farthest corner of it. To know that there isn’t sufficient equipment to douse flames is truly questionable,” said a member of NFOAA.

Concerns extend beyond equipment. Several residential complexes in Noida and Ghaziabad lack proper refuge areas, which are meant to serve as safe evacuation spaces during fires. In some cases, these are missing, poorly designed or encroached upon, limiting options for residents during emergencies. Speaking on this, a former RWA chair holder Ajay Chaurasiya said, “On what basis is the authority giving fire clearances to these skyscraper projects?”

This delay, combined with limited height access, increases the risk to residents.

Fire officials state that high-rise buildings are required to be self-sufficient, with sprinkler systems, internal hydrants, pressurised staircases and refuge areas. However, both residents and officials acknowledge that maintenance and inspections are inconsistent.

The authorities say a 102-metre hydraulic platform is planned, along with the exploration of drones and advanced ladders. For now, these measures remain under process, even as construction continues to push the skyline higher, leaving unresolved questions about preparedness and accountability.