Lives snuffed out in smoke chamber; narrow single entry worsened things
Fire department inquiry, short circuit fire, Gulzar Houz blaze, Hyderabad fire rescue, fire safety challenges, Telangana Fire ServicesHyderabad: A preliminary inquiry by the fire department has revealed that a short circuit was the cause of the tragic blaze in Hyderabad's Old City near Charminar, which claimed the lives of 17 members of a single family. Y Nagi Reddy, Director General, Telangana Fire Disaster Response Emergency and Civil Defence stated the cause of death of all the people was smoke inhalation, and nobody had burn injuries.
The fire broke out at the ground plus two storey building which Houzs Sri Krishna Pearls shop and the residential building in Gulzar Houz.
According to the Telangana disaster response and fire services, the initial inquiry showed that the cause of the fire was a short circuit.
Nagi Reddy explained that the Fire Department faced challenges to rescue the trapped persons. He said, 'There was only a single staircase leading to the upper floors, measuring less than one metre in width and situated centrally within the building. This staircase is alarmingly close to the anticipated fire source, resulting in the stairwell being entirely engulfed in smoke and extreme heat. Furthermore, there is no alternative staircase or exit route to access the upper floors. The ground floor access is completely obstructed by bikes, which not only block the exit but also serve as additional fuel for the fire.'
The statement by DG revealed that since fire started in ground floor, smoke and heat quickly reached upper floors blocking the only available access to upper floors. Also, there were no windows or doors facing the available road to use hydraulic platform and quick ventilation.
'To save time and to rescue trapped persons quickly, while firefighting was going on in the ground floor, the firefighters had to drill hole in a wall in the first floor to enter and start rescuing and fire fighting operations in first floor,' said Nagi Reddy.
'Because of timely response and action by Fire Department, spread of fire to adjacent properties was prevented and further loss of lives and property was averted,' said DG.
According to the Fire Department, a total of 12 appliances reached the fire ground and participated in the firefighting and rescue operations.
A total of 11 vehicles, one fire fighting robot, 17 fire officers and 70 personnel were involved in extinguishing the fire and rescuing trapped persons.
It is to note that, Advanced Fire Robot and Bronto Sky Lift Hydraulic Platform were also used in the operations.
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