Gulzar Houz tragedy: Five brave life savers explain horror of running into an inferno

Hyderabad: It has been nearly a week has passed since the devastating fire at Gulzar Houz near Charminar which claimed 17 lives from the same family. But for five young men who rushed into the inferno in a desperate bid to save strangers, the memories remain painfully vivid.

A Sunday morning turned tragic

That morning, religion, identity—everything—fell away. For these five young Muslim men, all that mattered was humanity. They didn’t think twice before running into the flames to help save the family of Prahlad Modi. Though their efforts were heroic, they couldn’t save everyone. Now, they carry the weight of the lives lost, and the haunting images they can’t unsee.

Speaking to NewsMeter, the rescuers recounted those harrowing moments. Just after dawn, Mir Zahed, a bangle seller, sat sipping tea with his friends, Mohammad Amer, Mohammad Ibrahim, and two others, when black smoke suddenly billowed from a nearby building.

Running into the fire

Without a second’s hesitation, they jumped into action. “We heard desperate cries — women shouting ‘Bhaiya, bachao!’ (Brother, save us!),” recalled Zahed. “The smoke was thick and choking. We wrapped handkerchiefs over our faces, broke open the shutter, and ran inside.”

A scene burned into memory

What they found will haunt them forever. “A mother lay lifeless, her arms still wrapped around her children in a final, protective embrace,” Zahed said, his voice trembling. “It was unbearable.”

Despite their efforts, the lives they pulled from the first floor—seven in total—couldn’t be saved. In all, 17 lives were lost that day, including several young children. Many were burned beyond recognition.

Desperate, but not enough

“If there had been oxygen on site, maybe… just maybe, some could have survived,” Zahed said. “We left the building with cuts, burns and bruises, but it’s not the physical wounds that hurt—it’s the memories.”

Sleepless nights and lingering pain

Days have passed, but sleep still escapes them. The smell of smoke, the screams, the lifeless bodies—all of it replays over and over, especially at night. “Every time I close my eyes, I see those dead children,” Zahed admitted.

Though many now call them heroes, the label feels hollow.

“What kind of hero walks out while others never make it?” whispered Mohammad Amer, a pharmacist. “We tried. We really tried. But it wasn’t enough.”

Unrecognised sacrifice

Their sorrow is deepened by the silence that followed. No acknowledgement, no gratitude—not from officials, not even from the family they tried to save. “Not a single word from anyone,” the rescuers said. “We truly believe we could have saved four or five more people, if only someone had stepped up to help.”

Crucial time lost

One family member from Modi’s side was present when the fire broke out. But in his panic, he remained silent, unable to even provide a basic building plan. That absence of critical information cost them precious time, time that could have saved lives.

“We weren’t asking for praise. Just support. A floor map. Anything,” they said. “But we were on our own.” “We only saw human lives,” they said.

Rapido rider, first on the scene of fire

Among the first on the scene was Syed Wasif, a Rapido rider who didn’t wait for help to arrive. “Without thinking, we forced our way past two barriers. The smoke was everywhere, but we just kept going,” Wasif recalled.

Inside, they found a woman curled on the floor, shielding four or five children with her body. “It was like walking into a nightmare,” he said.

Md Azmath and Md Ibrahim, also Rapido riders, joined him in the rescue. They fought their way to the second floor through dense smoke and falling debris. There, they discovered six more people — some injured, others barely conscious.

They entered the building around 6:10 am, and it wasn’t until 8:40 am that they emerged with the last survivors. “For over two hours, we thought of nothing but saving lives,” they said quietly.