Noida: A cafeteria staffer was charred to death after being trapped inside a shop in a row of five eateries near Radha Vallabh temple in Raipur village that caught fire on Saturday afternoon. At least eight cylinders stored at the outlets, which are frequented by students of nearby colleges, also exploded and triggered panic in the area.The fire broke out around 1.30 pm while renovation work was underway at one of the shops. As the cylinders exploded, the flames rapidly engulfed four adjacent shops. The blasts were heard from a distance. Multiple videos shared on social media platforms showed flames and thick smoke billowing from the market area.Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey said preliminary investigation suggested sparks during welding work had triggered the blaze. Chaubey said four men working at the shop managed to escape when the fire broke out, but Sahil Sharma, a resident of Chipiyana Khurd in Greater Noida West, remained trapped inside. As thick smoke filled the premises, Sahil lost consciousness and was unable to get out.Once the flames were doused, firefighters entered the shop and found Sahil lying near a wall. He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors declared him dead. He suffered over 70% burns.His father Dilip Sharma, who works as a security guard, said the family had come to NCR from Himachal Pradesh several years ago in search of jobs. Sahil, he said, had found employment at the eatery and was responsible for its upkeep. The family is yet to lodge any police complaint.According to eyewitnesses, around 20 people were present in and around the five shops when the blaze started. Wasim, who was in the area at the time, told TOI that renovation work, including electrical work, had been underway at one of the shops for several days. He said the fire started after a sudden short circuit. He claimed a few other eatery workers sustained minor injuries, but police denied reports of additional injuries.The cafeterias usually draw hundreds of people from nearby colleges, including Amity University, and corporate offices on weekdays. But the crowd was thinner on Saturday afternoon because most colleges were closed for the weekend.Officials said fire tenders reached the spot around 1.40 pm, about 10 minutes after they were alerted by passersby. Six fire tenders were deployed, and the flames were brought under control in an hour. Firefighters, assisted by police personnel, removed around eight damaged cylinders from the shops.All five shops suffered extensive damage, with goods worth lakhs of rupees destroyed. The extent of the losses is being assessed. While the fire department cited welding sparks as the suspected cause, police and other departments are examining the circumstances.
