Indian woman fined Rs 1.3 lakh after shower steam triggers fire alarm

SYDNEY: An Indian woman living in Australia has claimed that she was fined 1,800 Australian dollars, around Rs 1.3 lakh, after steam from a five-minute shower allegedly triggered a fire alarm in her apartment building. The woman, identified as Vamika, shared her experience in an Instagram video. She said she had not switched on the exhaust fan in the bathroom while taking a shower because of the cold weather. Soon after, the building's fire alarm went off.

At first, Vamika thought it was part of a fire drill. However, the building manager soon arrived at her apartment to check the alarm. She then realised that the steam from her shower had allegedly triggered the fire alarm. Vamika also expressed surprise over the placement of the fire detector close to the bathroom. She claimed that the fire services later charged her 1,800 Australian dollars for responding to the alarm.

Her video has since gone viral on social media, sparking a debate over whether steam from a normal shower can trigger a fire alarm and whether residents should be charged for emergency service call-outs in such situations.

Some social media users argued that a properly placed fire alarm should not be easily triggered by ordinary shower steam and suggested that the building's alarm system may have been overly sensitive. Others said residents should be given a warning, especially if it was a first-time incident, before being charged such a large amount.