Fire In Maharajgunj Triggers Panic; Infant Among 8 Rescued

Hyderabad: A major fire broke out in a three-storeyed building at Maharajgunj early Thursday triggering panic among residents. However, swift action taken by the fire-fighters in coordination with Disaster Response Force (DRF) personnel helped in rescuing eight people including a one-month-old baby.

Though the exact reasons behind the fire accident was yet to be known, the officials of Telangana fire services department suspect that sparks emanated from a melted service wire connected to a nearby electric pole could be one of the causes.

On hearing screams of residents in the building, the locals came to their rescue and alerted the fire control room around 8.30 am. Four fire tenders from Gowliguda and a fire robot were first rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

Four more vehicles from Secretariat, Rajendranagar and other stations were also pressed into service along with Bronto skylift. Hyderabad district fire officer T Venkanna told Deccan Chronicle that they first prevented the flames from spreading to other floors by carrying out fire-fighting operations from three sides of the building.

The fire robot was used from the staircase, while fire tenders from the main entrance and the left side of the building resulted in controlling the flames. Simultaneously, the fire-fighters and DRF personnel, using ladders and Bronto skylift, rescued those trapped on the third floor and on the terrace.

In all, the fire services department deployed more than 70 personnel for the operation. “We rescued four people from the window using a ladder while others including the new-born baby with skylift,” he explained, adding that it took two hours for them to douse the flames. The fire-fighters also took necessary precautionary measures to prevent the flames from spreading to other adjoining buildings.

The intensity of fire was high as disposal paper plates, cups and plastic glasses stored on the first floor of the building where fire first broke out. “The shopkeepers in front of the building informed us that sparks emanated from the service wire connected to the building and the electric pole. This could have caused fire,” Venkanna said, stating that further probe is on to know the exact reasons.