Cyber Security Professional from Telangana Dies in US Fire Accident
Sahaja Reddy Udumala completed her Masters in Cyber Security in the US and began working there a few months ago
Hyderabad:A Hyderabad-based cybersecurity specialist succumbed to her injuries sustained in a fire accident in New York’s Albany on Thursday. U. Sahaja Reddy, 24, hailing Uppal was asleep when the fire broke out. She died in a hospital on Thursday. Among several other occupants, a male occupant of the house was in a serious condition.
Sources from Albany told Deccan Chronicle that 13 people were residing in the house on 241, Western Avenue when the fire started in the ground floor and spread to the first floor and an adjacent house. They said that one of the residents jumped out of the first floor to avoid the flames.
Local fire department chief Joseph Gregory, speaking with the media, said that the fire spread quickly due to gusty winds at that time. “When the firefighters arrived, they were basically met with a wall of fire in the front of the building”, he said.
The Albany police, in an official press note, stated that they found four people inside the burning building and rescued them. Police said the survivors were treated on site by the Albany fire department.
The house was mostly occupied by Indian students and residents, most of them from AP and Telangana. All of the residents were taken to Albany Medical Centre Hospital in New York. Sahaja and another male victim were in critical condition, while two other victims were in critical but stable condition and others had minor injuries.
Two of the critical victims, including Sahaja, were airlifted to the Westchester Medical Burn Centre in New York for additional treatments. Sahaja’s cousin, in a GoFundMe post, stated that she sustained burns on nearly 90 per cent of her body. Despite medical efforts, she suffered a complete organ failure and died on Thursday.
The Albany police stated that a male victim is still in critical condition, and said that the police and the fire department are looking into the cause of the fire.
The Indian Consulate in New York said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Ms. Sahaja Reddy who lost her life in a house fire incident in Albany. The Consulate is in touch with late Ms. Sahaja’s family, and is extending all possible assistance.”
The GoFundMe post, created by Sahaja’s cousin, said “Sahaja was known for her kindness, determination, and the warmth she shared with everyone around her.” The post has raised more than $1,16,000 for her funeral and repatriation expenses.