India, April 2 -- An investigation by the fire department into Tuesday's blaze at Krishna Apra Plaza in Noida Sector 18, which injured 14 people-including three men and a woman forced to leap from high floors- has uncovered a grave regulatory breach: the building was operating without the mandatory fire no objection certificate for the past five years despite multiple warnings, fire officials said on Wednesday.

Gautam Budh Nagar chief fire officer Pradeep Chaubey said, "During the investigation, it was revealed that the Krishna Apra Plaza has no NOC, nor did they apply for one. It was also found that we had sent them a notice regarding the NOC requirement last year, but they did not comply with the norms despite several reminders." He ad...