Shower steam burns Rs 1.3 lakh hole in woman’s pocket after fire alarm goes off

An Indian woman living in Australia has sparked an online debate after claiming that she was charged A$1,800, roughly Rs 1.3 lakh, after steam from a five-minute shower allegedly triggered a building fire alarm.

The woman, Vamika, described the incident in an Instagram video, saying she was shocked by what happened. ET has not independently verified the video and claims of the woman.

Vamika said she took a shower for around five minutes but did not turn on the bathroom exhaust fan because she gets cold easily. Soon after, the building's fire alarm began ringing.


Also Read: Bengaluru based founders shares photo of a deserted office at 10:15 in the morning, says we are destroying our productivity

How the incident unfolded

At first, Vamika believed the alarm could have been part of a scheduled fire drill. She soon realised that was not the case when a building manager entered her apartment in response to the alert.

According to her account, she then understood that the alarm had apparently gone off while she was showering. She also questioned why the fire detector had been positioned so close to the bathroom.

Vamika later claimed that she was charged A$1,800 following the incident, which she understood was connected to the response of the fire services.

Social media users debate shower steam claim

Her account prompted users to debate whether steam from an ordinary shower could activate a fire alarm and whether residents should be responsible for emergency response costs in such circumstances.

Some commenters argued that a correctly positioned detector should not be easily activated by shower steam. They suggested the building's alarm system could have been excessively sensitive.

Others said residents should receive a warning or a first-time exemption before facing a charge of that size.

One user wrote, "Probably they shouldn’t charge you for the first time unless it’s your usual habit. I have been in same situation, deny the chargers. A fire alarm cannot be triggered with a steam from shower it means there alarms are sensitive and you shouldn’t cover the fire truck cost of $1800."

Another commenter questioned the authenticity of the incident, writing, "It’s clearly fake just to get the views…I mean all hotels, restaurants have this but this never heard of any incident with stream and understand difference between smoke and steam…ufff godd go to other country and make it look like OMG OMG…"

Also Read: Rs 8.5 lakh for staying in the mountains to watch clouds? This tourist place is paying for this unique 'cloudscape observer' position

A third user argued that the charge should not have been imposed, suggesting steam could have been mistaken for smoke by the alarm. The commenter added that the alarm should not be placed near excessive heat and concluded that Vamika should not be held responsible.

The same user also claimed that evidence is required before a person is fined abroad, writing, "Everywhere abroad, evidence is required before someone is fined. So, stop lying."

Disclaimer: This article is based on claims, statements, images, videos and other information shared by users on social media platforms. The ET.com has not independently verified the authenticity, accuracy or completeness of these claims unless expressly stated otherwise. The views, allegations and assertions contained in the social media content are those of the respective users and do not reflect the views of The ET.com. The publication bears no responsibility for the accuracy of such claims and readers are advised to exercise their own judgment and seek independent verification where necessary.