Hyderabad: The fire accident in a building near the iconic Charminar, which claimed 17 lives, is the worst fire disaster to hit Hyderabad in recent years.
Now the Fire Department has revealed the reason behind the uncontrolled blaze.
Reason behind uncontrolled blaze
Fire Department Director General Y. Nagi Reddy revealed that the family of Prahlad Modi failed to adhere to fire safety norms and remained in the building after the fire broke out on Sunday, resulting in the tragedy.
The family members had initially tried to douse the fire themselves, and after losing precious time of nearly 45 minutes when the situation got out of hand, they informed the fire department.
“After speaking to the workers, we came to the conclusion that the fire started between 4:45 am and 5:00 am. A worker noticed it and alerted the house owners. Family members used water buckets and domestic pipes to try and put it out. This continued for 45 minutes. Around 6:00 am, two women from the family exited the building to alert local people about the fire. Those people, in turn, contacted the fire brigade,” said Nagi Reddy.
Interdisciplinary team formed to probe Hyderabad fire accident
Department responded promptly, say officials
The fire officials maintained that the department responded promptly to a call at 6:16 am, with the first fire engine arriving in four minutes from Moghalpura fire station.
Fire officials also claimed that all 17 victims were pulled out from the same room on the first floor. “Initially, three family members attempted to extinguish the flames on the ground floor while others were on the first-floor corridor. As the fire turned severe and smoke reached the upper floors, the 17 family members retreated into a single room. They succumbed to asphyxiation, with some sustaining minor burns,” said the officials.
Hyderabad fire accident: Madhavi Latha praises, AIMIM felicitates brave men
Officials said that the intense flames also proved to be a challenge for rescuers as it prevented direct entry into the building. “The firefighters, with the help of local people, had to dig a hole in the wall which took 15 minutes and then gain access from an alternative side,” said Nagi Reddy.
The officials suspect the fire started when the LED bulbs in the display chamber of the pearl shop caught fire and it spread. The AC compressor burst, intensifying the fire. “There is a lot of wood used in the shops and the building. Due to burning of wood, there was a lot of smoke and the fire spread rapidly,” added Nagi Reddy.
Hyderabad’s worst fire accident in recent years
The worst fire disaster to hit Hyderabad in recent years has once again brought into focus the lack of fire safety measures in multi-storey buildings and failure to ensure adherence to safety norms despite announcements by concerned authorities after every such disaster.
Like in most fire accidents in recent years, this G+2 building too had shops on the ground floor while families were residing upstairs.
