7 members of a family among 9 killed in Hyderabad fire; police hunt for building owner

A grandson, 17-year-old Mohammad Talha, is battling for life at the Osmania General hospital in Hyderabad with 70 to 80 percent burns.

Another couple, Mohammed Zakeer Hussain (66) and Nikath Sultana (55), too, lost their lives. The police said asphyxiation caused the deaths.

#Hyderbad: At least 9 people, including seven of a family, were killed in an inferno in Hyderbad's Bazarghat.

The fire broke out while a car was being repaired in a garage located on the ground floor of the building. Several others were rescued as well. pic.twitter.com/42rCSF7J6d

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 13, 2023

Also read: Tent house storing firecrackers catches fire near Hyderabad’s Sun City

How the fire spread

The fire spread to the upper floors, trapping residents in the five-storey building, the police said.

M Venkateshwarlu, DCP Central Zone, told media persons that the prima facie it appeared that the deceased passed away due to suffocation as the smoke reached the upper floors.

“Repair works of two- and three-wheelers were going on in the godown on the ground floor. Drums of chemicals must have caused the fire. Most of the deceased were residing on the first and second floors. Residents on the third and fourth floor faced difficulty in breathing,” the DCP said.

A video of the incident showed the Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the National Disaster Response Force personnel rescuing a trapped woman and child. At least six fire tenders, were rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

Several others trapped in the building were also rescued. Some complained of breathing issues and were taken to the Osmania General Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu expressed her condolences following the accident.

“Pained by the unfortunate loss of lives due to fire accident in a building in Hyderabad. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish for speedy recovery of the injured,” she wrote in a post on X.

Pained by the unfortunate loss of lives due to fire accident in a building in Hyderabad. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish for speedy recovery of the injured.

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 13, 2023

Eyewitness account

“We exchanged Deepavali greetings with residents living on the second floor. We usually wake up early and after seeing the fire, we used a ladder that my brother brought to escape from the balcony. My mother sustained minor injuries in the incident.” Jayprakash, who works in a neighbourhood garment shop, told South First.

He added that the residents had reached a consensus earlier in the society that oil drums could not be stored on the apartment premises.

Another neighbour Soundaryam, a retired teacher of Stanley School, told South First, “It was a small fire at first. We were calling the ambulance and in the meantime, it (fire) spread and spread upwards. Due to the smoke, it was dark by then and nothing was visible. Family members of two families have died in the accident. I never knew the families personally, they might have spoken to me because retirement I generally sit at home and don’t go out.”

She added that the owner (Jaiswal) never bothered to shift his godown even after residents asked him. “He is quite known. He used to give excuses that he would vacate the godown and shift it somewhere. Even in the lane, you can see several boxes stored. They all belong to them (godown owner’s). Later, they took (on hire) space below us and stored them there also. My son has had work from home, so he used to get disturbed. I asked the owner how can it (running godown) be allowed. He would say, ‘no aunty I will shift it’.”

Local MLA claims ‘over 10’ dead

Nampally MLA Jaffer Hussain Meraj, meanwhile, said 10 people were killed in the incident. “It was a massive fire which was brought under control by firefighters after an hour. From what we have seen, over 10 people have died. One of my brothers, Azam, and his whole family lost their lives in the accident,” the AIMIM leader told reporters.

He demanded authorities to conduct the postmortem examinations immediately.

“The building owner is responsible for the incident as several chemical barrels were kept on the ground floor of the building. There was a blast.  We will ensure strict action against the owner for this grievous crime,” Meraj added.

Meanwhile, building owner Ramesh Jaiswal went missing soon after the incident. The police have launched a search for him.

Also read: In yet another fire, 3 killed in Hyderabad residential building

Governor demands report in 2 days

Expressing sorrow over the incident, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan ordered comprehensive medical assistance to those who sustained injuries.

While seeking a thorough investigation into the incident, she also demanded a report in two days.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao expressed shock over the incident. “The authorities have been advised to provide better medical care to the seriously injured and to be vigilant and take appropriate measures,” he said.

నాంపల్లి బజార్ ఘాట్ లో జరిగిన అగ్ని ప్రమాదంపై ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ కె. చంద్రశేఖర్ రావు తీవ్ర దిగ్భ్రాంతి వ్యక్తం చేశారు.

మృతుల కుటుంబాలకు తీవ్ర సంతాపాన్ని ప్రకటించారు. తక్షణమే పటిష్టమైన సహాయక చర్యలు చేపట్టాలని అధికారులను సీఎం శ్రీ కేసీఆర్ ఆదేశించారు.

తీవ్రంగా గాయపడ్డవారికి మెరుగైన…

— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) November 13, 2023

Another fire: Electronic showroom catches fire

Earlier in the day, a fire broke out at an electronic showroom in the Shalibanda area of Hyderabad around 1 am on Monday. No casualties were reported.

Six fire tenders and 30 firefighters responded to the incident and extinguished the flames.

A massive fire erupted at 1 am on Monday in the storage unit of Bajaj Electronics showroom in Shalibanda, under Moghalpura PS limits tells (SHO) Srinivasa Redy to @TheSouthfirst, "We deployed 4 fire engines & flames were controlled by 3 pm. No casualties reported" pic.twitter.com/1g3lSbvPjg

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 13, 2023

“A fire broke out at an electronics showroom in Shalibanda. The fire extended to the second and third floors of the showroom. A total of six fire engines and 30 personnel arrived at the scene. After approximately three hours of strenuous efforts, we managed to bring the fire under control. The incident occurred at around 1 am today,” Srinivas Reddy, District Fire Officer (DFO) told reporters.