Hyderabad: Fire breaks out at car garage; security guard killed

Hyderabad: A security guard was charred to death when cars caught fire at Vinayaka auto garage near Kamineni Hospital in Boggulakunta of King Koti road.

Reports said the garage staff had locked the shed after finishing work on Friday night with seven cars parked in front of it. Security guard Santosh (42) had fallen asleep in one of the cars.

Around 4 am, a fire broke out in the car in which Santosh was sleeping. It quickly spread to other cars. The resulting explosions from the batteries drew the attention of Kamineni Hospital staff, who alerted the police and fire brigade.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire All seven cars were destroyed in the accident. Santosh was charred to death.

Authorities believe that the cause of the fire may have been a mosquito coil that Santosh had lit inside the car to keep mosquitoes away. There are also suspicions that Santosh may have been under the influence of alcohol, as he did not wake up even as the fire spread rapidly.

Inspector Prasad of the Abids police station said they were informed by the staff of Kamineni Hospital about a fire incident. Upon arriving at the scene, they were able to control the fire with the help of firefighting personnel.

“Santosh, a security guard who was asleep in one of the cars, died on the spot. The incident resulted in the complete destruction of three cars. Four cars were partially damaged. A case has been registered and an investigation launched,” he said.