Hyderabad: 13 workers rescued after massive fire at furniture unit in Asifnagar

Hyderabad: Panic gripped the Jhirra area of Asif Nagar on Saturday when a massive fire broke out at a multi-storey furniture manufacturing unit, trapping over a dozen workers in the upper floors.

Thanks to a swift and coordinated response by fire services and disaster teams, all 13 individuals were rescued safely, and no casualties were reported, the locals said.

Those rescued include: Md. Akram (26), Srikanth Kumar (18), Arib (28), Uma Shanker (49), Md. Muneer (27), Aras Mohammed (29), Md. Touseem (20), Asraf Ali (46), Deepak Balaji (22), Phani Lal (30), Shamshuddin Ansari (45), Anwar Ansari (32), and Salim (24).

According to the fire safety department officials, the fire started around 4:19 a.m. in the ground-floor electrical panel of a building that housed both a furniture workshop and employee residences. The cellar, ground, and first floors were used for furniture manufacturing and storage, while the upper floors served as residential quarters.

Within a minute of the emergency call, fire tenders from Amberpet, Gowliguda, and a robotic unit from Assembly Fire Station rushed to the scene. The fire, which quickly spread and filled the building with thick smoke, forced the trapped workers to seek refuge on the terrace.

As the intensity escalated, reinforcements were called in from Yakutpura, Langer House, the Hyderabad SDRF, and a Bronto Sky Lift Ladder from the Secretariat. Firefighters, led by ADFO V. Bhanu Prathap and SFO G. Chanakya, mounted a successful evacuation with assistance from the SDRF and Amberpet crews.

Senior officials including T. Venkanna (DFO, Hyderabad), Khaja Karimulla (DFO, Ranga Reddy), and P.A. Shanmukha Rao (ADFO, Salarjung Museum), along with Station Fire Officers B. Sudhakar and N. Mahesh, supervised the firefighting operations.

The fire was brought under control without loss of life. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.