Around 9 am on Thursday, a fire broke out at Gaur Green Avenue in Indirapuram, GhaziabadIf a fire like the one that destroyed residential apartments in Ghaziabad on Wednesday were to start in a higher floor of a Gurgaon highrise, a privately owned hydraulic ladder – belonging to the real estate group DLF – might have to rush to the rescue.The Gurgaon Fire Department’s only hydraulic ladder has been lying defunct at the DLF Sector 29 fire station for the last year and a half. In any case, the ladder is designed to reach only up to 42 metres – or about 14 storeys.The fire in Ghaziabad affected flats on the ninth to the 13th floors. Dozens of highrises in Gurgaon are taller, the tallest reaching well over 50 storeys.“That (defunct) ladder has reached the end of its life of around 15 years. It was repaired once it crossed 10 years, and has been lying useless for the past year and a half,” Fire Safety Officer Lalit Kumar said.The DLF ladder, Kumar said, is used for high fires in Manesar and Sohna as well. This 90-metre hydraulic platform can reach up to 27 floors, officials said.“Steps are being taken for the state to have 14 new hydraulic ladders, of which Gurgaon will get two or three,” Kumar said.The Gurgaon district Fire Department has 58 fire tenders distributed across its seven stations – Sector 29, Udyog Vihar, Bhim Nagar, Sector-37, Pataudi, Manesar, and Sohna. There is no fire station close to the highrises off Dwarka Expressway.Story continues below this ad“Land transfer and allocation for three new stations in Sector 43, Badshahpur, and Farrukhnagar is in progress,” Kumar said.The Fire Department’s fleet comprises six foam tenders, six small tenders, and 25 water bowsers with capacities greater than 5,000 litres. Ten motorcycles, equipped with 40-litre tanks, are used to navigate narrow lanes.This fire-fighting infrastructure is not adequate. In crises, the Department routinely commissions from an additional fleet of 16 tenders and bowsers owned by private entities including Maruti, M3M, Ambience, and Medanta, officials said.The Department is also short of manpower. In a district that sprawls over 1,250 sq km and is home to more than 1.5 million people according to government data, there are only about 250 Fire officers and firefighters – half the ideal number, Fire safety officials said. In April and May, when fire incidents peak, Fire staff work 12-hour shifts instead of their usual eight.Story continues below this adThe infrastructural and staffing deficits are currently being tested further by a statewide strike by contractual and ad hoc fire staff demanding better work conditions, regularised employment and standardised pay including a Rs-5,000 monthly risk allowance.The strike, which is now in its third week and seemingly stalemated, has forced the government to temporarily draft police and transport personnel to keep emergency services operational. Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). Contact X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Gurgaon