A fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in an interior designing office located on the fourth floor of the Himalaya Mall on Drive-In Road, Ahmedabad. Swift action by the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services ensured that no casualties were reported in the incident.  

Incident details  

According to fire officials, the fire began at around 3.45 pm in the office’s outer air conditioning (AC) panel and quickly spread indoors. Upon noticing the fire, the office staff was immediately evacuated, and neighbouring offices were alerted.

Approximately 200 to 300 people were inside the mall at the time, causing a brief panic. However, mall security and maintenance staff managed to guide visitors to safety.  

Six fire tenders, staffed by 25 firefighters, were dispatched to the scene to contain the fire. In the meantime, the mall’s security team attempted to control the flames using fire extinguishers and water hoses. Their efforts helped to limit the spread of the fire until the fire brigade arrived.  

Fire contained after three hours  

After three hours of continuous efforts, the firefighters managed to extinguish the flames and initiated a cooling process to prevent re-ignition.

Divisional Fire Officer Om Jadeja stated, “Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire originated in the outer panel of the AC dock due to overloading and overheating of the electrical supply. This led to the fire spreading inside the office.”  

The authorities have since called in experts to investigate the matter further. A team from Torrent Power also inspected the site to assess potential electrical faults.  

Causes of overheating  

Overheating, often a precursor to such incidents, occurs when components or devices are subjected to temperatures beyond their design limits. Common causes include:  

- Faulty wiring or loose connections leading to excessive resistance.  

- Malfunctioning equipment, such as motors or transformers.  

- Short circuits generating heat at fault points.  

- Insulation breakdown, making materials more susceptible to fire.