Inferno atop my residential block, Owner (pilot) killed,1 injured

sidindica · 11th August 2009, 10:33

yeaterday night at 11:30 pm, a shot circuit (AC explosion) sparked an inferno in a bedroom of a top floor house adjacent to my block in Mayur Vihar Phase-2, Delhi.

Pics taken moments after the explosion.

Wife and daughter are fine, husband sustained about 50 % burns (UPDATE: he has passed away) while son about 1-2 percent on his left leg.

3 firetrucks raced in time and the inferno was bought under control in 15 minutes but with a tough time due to narrow lanes.

The big ball on the right is actually a streetlight, not a fire. All other lines are okay.

The resident (owner) was a pilot (cannot disclose the identity).

wanderernomad · 11th August 2009, 10:49

Sad. Fires due to short circuits are becoming fairly common. About 15 days back we lost 3 people in a Fire at my old office on Rafi Marg. the deaths there were more due to hypoxia than burns. May God give strength to the bereaved family to cope with the loss. How old are the kids?

Fordmanchau · 11th August 2009, 10:59

Sad to hear this, Life lost so casually saddens me.
May god give strength to the family to get thorugh this ordeal.

vnabhi · 11th August 2009, 11:18

Sorry to hear this----one of the most unexpected ways of passing away. I hope the family musters courage to face this saga.

greenh0rn · 11th August 2009, 11:59

Sad to hear this- quite unfortunate. But why would an ac explode?

esteem_lover · 11th August 2009, 12:09

A similar incident happened in chennai too, a few days back.

bblost · 11th August 2009, 12:13

I live on the seventh floor of an old apartment building.

Luckily my apartment is right beside the fire exit.
Of course the fire exit has a grill door and its kept locked.

The first thing I did when I moved in was get a duplicate key made and keep it in a very easy to access point in my flat.

emkay456 · 11th August 2009, 12:20

A/C compressor exploding is becoming regular now, as people do not regularly service them and get it cleaned. With present levels of dust pollution, the filters and compressor body etc needs to be periodically cleaned.

T_Girl · 11th August 2009, 14:38

Really sad. About a year ago even our house was on fire because of the AC. Thank god it wasn't that huge and was manageable.

Abes · 11th August 2009, 15:00

That is why safety equipments and precautions should be in place.

ELCB / RCD's should be installed to protect against leakages and electrocution, and MCB / MCCB's should be installed to protect against overloads and short circuits. Above all, the wiring should be done properly & professionally, and proper earthing should be in place.

The protection devices should be of proper rating and specifications for the nature of the circuits they are protecting. It’s not just enough to have them installed, they should be regularly tested.

Out here, under voltage relays, timers, overload protection and earth leakage protection are compulsory for the AC circuits.

Once in a while, the entire electrical installation should be inspected by professionals / electricians.

Kitchens should have heat detectors and gas leak detectors. The portable ones would be enough.

Every house should have portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets, just in case the preventive mechanisms fail.

sidindica · 11th August 2009, 15:17

Update:

This was a deliberate attempt by the owner himself to commit suicide, not an accident due to his troubled personal life.

Regular fights between the couple were often reported by the neighbors to the police and it was a result of that.

joecherian · 11th August 2009, 15:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by emkay456

A/C compressor exploding is becoming regular now, as people do not regularly service them and get it cleaned. With present levels of dust pollution, the filters and compressor body etc needs to be periodically cleaned.

Slightly OT but related. Does this means, the same can happen in vehicles also ? ( I mean AC compressor exploding ?) or does the vehicles have a different mechanism ?

jp2u · 11th August 2009, 16:19

A suidcide attempt by blowing the A/C, this will giv new ideas to the bollywood film makers

amtak · 11th August 2009, 16:28

Can someone make me understand how can one blast off a compressor? Agreed that the couple had fights. However, who would want to commit suicide by blasting off the compressor when you have other easier ways of committing suicide (A person who has a plane at his disposal can always crash it or jump off the plane or anything?). To be it looks like a pure accident.

RIP.

ghpk · 12th August 2009, 01:55

Sad, cause kids lost father, wife lost her husband, family fights do happen, but this loss is huge.

A.C. Exploded ????? i think similar incident happened in Lucknow a few months back, must be/i would assume assembled one, which do not pass quality control checks.
This type of explosion has recently started, is it specific brand, specific cause, or some negligence its is certainly a thing which should be brought to Light for people to become aware.

Wiring is most important Factor for A.C. causing blackouts in home/office, people use 20 to 30 years old wiring in home, and once A.C. puts the load, it can lead to a fire, cable burns, etc etc

Off-topic but
Our house is OLD, but 6 months back, we changed a lot of things, most important works included, COMPLETE Re-WIRING of electricity.
Earlier had MCB's only for A.C. (near Stabilizers), now every room has its own MCB and isolator for each room/floor and between places where the load is distributed.

11th August 2009, 10:33	#1
sidindica Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 4,892 Thanked: 8,121 Times	Inferno atop my residential block, Owner (pilot) killed,1 injured yeaterday night at 11:30 pm, a shot circuit (AC explosion) sparked an inferno in a bedroom of a top floor house adjacent to my block in Mayur Vihar Phase-2, Delhi. Pics taken moments after the explosion. Wife and daughter are fine, husband sustained about 50 % burns (UPDATE: he has passed away) while son about 1-2 percent on his left leg. 3 firetrucks raced in time and the inferno was bought under control in 15 minutes but with a tough time due to narrow lanes. The big ball on the right is actually a streetlight, not a fire. All other lines are okay. The resident (owner) was a pilot (cannot disclose the identity). Attached Thumbnails Last edited by sidindica : 11th August 2009 at 10:44.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 10:49	#2
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,534 Thanked: 1,276 Times View My Garage	Sad. Fires due to short circuits are becoming fairly common. About 15 days back we lost 3 people in a Fire at my old office on Rafi Marg. the deaths there were more due to hypoxia than burns. May God give strength to the bereaved family to cope with the loss. How old are the kids?
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 10:59	#3
Fordmanchau Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,666 Thanked: 340 Times	Sad to hear this, Life lost so casually saddens me. May god give strength to the family to get thorugh this ordeal.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 11:18	#4
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 2,393 Times View My Garage	Sorry to hear this----one of the most unexpected ways of passing away. I hope the family musters courage to face this saga.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 11:59	#5
greenh0rn BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 427 Thanked: 149 Times	Sad to hear this- quite unfortunate. But why would an ac explode?
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 12:09	#6
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	A similar incident happened in chennai too, a few days back.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 12:13	#7
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,371 Times View My Garage	I live on the seventh floor of an old apartment building. Luckily my apartment is right beside the fire exit. Of course the fire exit has a grill door and its kept locked. The first thing I did when I moved in was get a duplicate key made and keep it in a very easy to access point in my flat.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 12:20	#8
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	A/C compressor exploding is becoming regular now, as people do not regularly service them and get it cleaned. With present levels of dust pollution, the filters and compressor body etc needs to be periodically cleaned.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 14:38	#9
T_Girl BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 68 Thanked: 3 Times	Really sad. About a year ago even our house was on fire because of the AC. Thank god it wasn't that huge and was manageable.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 15:00	#10
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	That is why safety equipments and precautions should be in place. ELCB / RCD's should be installed to protect against leakages and electrocution, and MCB / MCCB's should be installed to protect against overloads and short circuits. Above all, the wiring should be done properly & professionally, and proper earthing should be in place. The protection devices should be of proper rating and specifications for the nature of the circuits they are protecting. It’s not just enough to have them installed, they should be regularly tested. Out here, under voltage relays, timers, overload protection and earth leakage protection are compulsory for the AC circuits. Once in a while, the entire electrical installation should be inspected by professionals / electricians. Kitchens should have heat detectors and gas leak detectors. The portable ones would be enough. Every house should have portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets, just in case the preventive mechanisms fail. Last edited by Abes : 11th August 2009 at 15:02.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 15:17	#11
sidindica Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 4,892 Thanked: 8,121 Times	Update: This was a deliberate attempt by the owner himself to commit suicide, not an accident due to his troubled personal life. Regular fights between the couple were often reported by the neighbors to the police and it was a result of that.
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 16:19	#13
jp2u BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 237 Thanked: 21 Times View My Garage	A suidcide attempt by blowing the A/C, this will giv new ideas to the bollywood film makers
	() Thanks

11th August 2009, 16:28	#14
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,915 Thanked: 902 Times View My Garage	Can someone make me understand how can one blast off a compressor? Agreed that the couple had fights. However, who would want to commit suicide by blasting off the compressor when you have other easier ways of committing suicide (A person who has a plane at his disposal can always crash it or jump off the plane or anything?). To be it looks like a pure accident. RIP.
	() Thanks

12th August 2009, 01:55	#15
ghpk BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 870 Thanked: 211 Times	Sad, cause kids lost father, wife lost her husband, family fights do happen, but this loss is huge. A.C. Exploded ????? i think similar incident happened in Lucknow a few months back, must be/i would assume assembled one, which do not pass quality control checks. This type of explosion has recently started, is it specific brand, specific cause, or some negligence its is certainly a thing which should be brought to Light for people to become aware. Wiring is most important Factor for A.C. causing blackouts in home/office, people use 20 to 30 years old wiring in home, and once A.C. puts the load, it can lead to a fire, cable burns, etc etc Off-topic but Our house is OLD, but 6 months back, we changed a lot of things, most important works included, COMPLETE Re-WIRING of electricity. Earlier had MCB's only for A.C. (near Stabilizers), now every room has its own MCB and isolator for each room/floor and between places where the load is distributed.
	() Thanks