NOIDA: A fire broke out on the first floor of Vishal Mega Mart near Sector 76 metro station in the early hours of Friday at 4.37am. A short circuit appears to have triggered the blaze. A total of 15 fire tenders were deployed to bring the blaze under control. Officials said the building’s fire safety system was non-functional, which led to a delay in dousing the fire.No casualties were reported as the store was closed at the time of the incident; however, goods worth several lakhs of rupees were destroyed, and a shoe shop was completely gutted.According to officials, a security guard noticed flames and immediately alerted the fire department. Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar said five fire tenders from Phase III fire station reached the spot within 10 minutes. However, due to the intensity of the fire, 10 more tenders were sent from nearby fire stations. Firefighters brought the fire under control after 1.5 hours of effort.The blaze likely began at an electrical board in a tin shed outside the building, then spread rapidly through advertisement boards and banners.
