A fire sparked by an alleged AC explosion engulfed two flats on the 21st floor of a Noida high-rise in Sector 119 on Sunday morning. Six fire tenders rushed to the spot, rescuing residents without injuries. Authorities have ordered an investigation into the incident and electrical safety.
A major fire broke out at a high-rise residential apartment in Aranya Society, Sector 119, Noida, in the morning of June 29, 2026, prompting a swift emergency response from the fire department.
The incident began around 08:50 AM. The family living in the 21st-floor flat was asleep when the loud blast from the air conditioning woke them.
As the fire spread within seconds, the family rushed outside to alert their neighbours.
Because the flat was located on a very high floor, strong winds caused the fire to leap outward and spread quickly to an adjoining flat.
Residents from the entire tower began rushing down the staircases to evacuate the building.
Upon hearing the blast and seeing thick black smoke billowing from the 21st floor, residents of the building and the society's security personnel made the initial emergency calls to the fire department and the Sector 113 police station.
As soon as they heard the news, six fire tenders rushed to the spot, and fighting fires on the 21st floor presents significant height and pressure challenges.
However, six fire tenders arrived rapidly and deployed high-pressure water monitors alongside the building's internal firefighting systems to control the blaze.
Officials confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported.
The family inside the flat managed to escape, and no other residents were trapped or harmed.
According to Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar, the fire was triggered by an explosion in an air conditioner (AC) unit installed in the flat.
According to the fire department official and an electrical safety expert, several factors typically cause the AC unit to malfunction violently.
Keeping the AC running for long hours without any operational break causes the compressor to overheat.
Accumulated dust and dirt in the filters or condenser coils restrict airflow, forcing the unit to work twice as hard and dangerously elevating internal temperatures.
High summer power demand often causes sudden voltage surges, which can lead to a short circuit in the unit's wiring, sparking and igniting the refrigerant gas.
If highly pressurized refrigerant gas leaks near a short-circuiting electrical component, it can trigger immediate, explosive combustion.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an immediate follow-up after the blaze erupted, directing officials to manage the emergency response and conduct safety inspections.
The intervention prioritized rapid resource deployment and a thorough investigation into the building's compliance with safety standards.
This incident marks a worrying trend in the Delhi-NCR region during extreme summer temperatures.
Just weeks prior, on June 04, 2026, an identical AC explosion gutted a 12th floor at Ivy County Society, in Sector 74.
An official probe has been ordered to inspect the electrical load and internal wiring of the affected apartment.
The Chief Fire Officer has urged all residential welfare associations (RWAs) in Noida to issue immediate advisories to residents regarding mandatory electrical health checks and cooling cycles for domestic appliances to prevent overloading of local transformers.
Further details are awaited as officials continue their assessment of the incident.
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