Woman who jumped four floors to escape Sec 18 fire in Noida dies

Noida: A 34-year-old woman, who was severely injured after jumping from the fourth floor of a Sector 18 commercial complex to escape a fire, died at a city hospital on Saturday – making her the first casualty of the April 1 blaze.
Police said on Sunday that Pooja Gupta, is survived by her husband and 2-year-old daughter. A resident of Janta Flats in Sector 122, she worked at a private office in Krishna Apra Plaza, Sector 18.
Pooja's brother Vikash Verma said she suffered 40-50% burns and multiple fractures -- including 12 to her legs, shoulder and spine – from the fall.
She was initially admitted to a private healthcare facility in Sector 27 and later shifted to the ESIC Hospital in Sector 24.
"After a few days of treatment, when her condition kept deteriorating, ESIC shifted her to their Faridabad branch. From there, we shifted her to a private hospital in Sector 110. She was on ventilator support from the day of the fire," Vikash said.
Doctors informed the family that she succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.
"She might have survived if she received better treatment. Due to our financial crisis, we couldn't afford the best care, and no one came forward to help us," he said.
The blaze erupted in the eight-storied building — a hub of business offices and food outlets — after an AC unit in a property dealer's office on the ground floor exploded around 11.30am on April 1, a weekday.
Around 70 people rushed to the terrace to escape, and many others used the building's designated exits.
But the situation became particularly dire for those stuck on the upper floors because the only available staircase was blocked by thick plumes of smoke. Four people — three men and Pooja — jumped from the third and fourth floors in panic. Firefighters had to deploy a hydraulic lift to rescue 170 people who were trapped inside.
Apart from Pooja, 17 people were injured in the fire.
TOI reported earlier this month that the Krishna Apra Plaza did not have a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department. Most of the fire safety equipment were functional, but alarms and smoke detectors were not.
The exit gates did not have signage for emergency evacuation, and all but one of the exits had been locked at the time the fire erupted.