Ghaziabad: The death toll from the fire in a five-storey residential building in Khoda has risen to three after a 26-year-old woman died from her injuries on Saturday, days after her parents succumbed to burns and smoke inhalation.Neetu, who had been on ventilator support, died during treatment in a hospital in Delhi. Her sister Anjali, who was also rescued from the blaze, remains in critical condition. Their parents, Rajendra Prasad and Meena Prasad, were the first victims of the fire that broke out around 11.30pm on March 3 in Birbal Nagar, a densely packed pocket of the Khoda settlement.Officials said Neetu was found inside the bedroom with her parents and had suffered severe burns when the fire spread through the building.Investigators suspect the blaze was triggered by a short circuit in the building’s electrical panel on the ground floor. Flames quickly spread to several two-wheelers parked in the stilt area, intensifying the fire and filling stairwells and corridors with smoke.The building, constructed in 2019 by a Noida-based builder, houses 43 families. Most residents were inside their homes when the fire broke out close to midnight.Within minutes, smoke surged through the staircase and lift shaft, trapping people inside their flats. Firefighters rescued several residents, many of whom were taken to nearby hospitals. The blaze has left dozens of families displaced, with many now staying with relatives, neighbours or in temporary shelters while the damaged building remains unsafe.
