Hyderabad Shop Blaze: Fire chief says criminal negligence by owner after 5 bodies retrieved

Firefighters recovered the bodies of five people, including two children, from the cellar of the furniture shop in the Nampally area of Old Hyderabad on Sunday, almost 20 hours after the premises caught fire.

Director General of Telangana Fire and Disaster Response, Vikram Singh Mann, said it was a clear case of criminal negligence by the shop owner since the basement was used illegally to store furniture and chemicals and to provide accommodation to the watchman’s family.

Advertisement

A criminal case has been registered accordingly against the shop owner for violating fire safety norms.

The first body was recovered a little after 9 am. The two children were identified as seven-year-old Akhil and 11-year-old Praneeth, and a 60-year-old woman. The two children were the sons of the store’s watchman. The woman worked as a sweeper in the store. All three died of asphyxiation in the cellar. Two youths, 31-year-old Md Imtiyaz and 30-year-old Syed Habib, had rushed in when the trio got trapped and were charred to death. The bodies were later taken to Osmania Hospital.

There were two access points, one within the shop and another ramp outside the shop. However, the one inside the shop had already been blocked by the owners and the other entry point got obstructed when materials kept nearby caught fire. After the fire started, Imitiyaz and Habib rushed inside to rescue those trapped inside, but with the materials kept near the ramp catching fire, they could not come out.

The fire had started yesterday afternoon, and the firefighters got the call at 1:41 pm. According to the fire department, the first team of firefighters from Abids had arrived within two minutes of getting the call. The fire may have started due to a short circuit or because of a discarded cigarette.

The DG of fire services said the cellar used to store furniture instead of vehicles had turned into a fire hazard “It is a totally illegal act and prosecution will be launched against them. There were inflammable materials, dangerous chemicals and a mattress in the cellar. The commercial building was also being used as an accommodation for the watchman with children and they had cooking arrangements, which was also a gross violation,” said Vikram Singh Mann.

The access points were blocked by furniture packed to the ceiling. The shop had not obtained any mandatory permits from the fire department. Firefighters even used a JCB to gain access to the cellar and to let out the thick smoke. Shutter cutters were also used. State revenue minister Ponguletti Srinivas Reddy later announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died in the fire.