Hyderabad: 17 dead, 20 injured in fire at Gulzar House, Charminar

Hyderabad: As many as 17 people have died and more than 20 sustained injuries in a devastating fire that broke out at Gulzar House near Charminar early Sunday morning. A total of 11 fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control.

Thick black smoke enveloped the area, waking residents in nearby buildings who were alarmed by the strong smell and rapidly spreading smoke.

According to hospital authorities, 11 people have been confirmed dead so far and over 20 others are injured.

Yashoda Hospitals, Malakpet: 8 brought in dead

DRDO Apollo Hospitals: 2 children confirmed dead

Osmania General Hospital: 1 confirmed dead

Cause of the Fire

"Today, upon receiving information at 06:16 am that a fire broke out in the G+2 building at Gulzar House Chowrasta, Charminar, the Moghalpura water tender and its crew rushed to the scene of the fire. The building has Ground + 02 floors. The fire broke out on the Ground floor and spread to the upper floors.

Firefighting, Search & Rescue operations were carried out simultaneously and 17 people who were trapped on the first floor and were rescued by the fire dept personnel and shifted them to hospital. Due to the access constraints and to speed up the search & rescue operations, assist call was given to other fire stations and in total of 12 appliances reached the fire ground and participated in the firefighting and rescue operations.

A total of 11 vehicles, a Fire Fighting Robot, 17 Fire officers and 70 personnel were involved in extinguishing the fire and rescuing trapped persons. It took a total of two hours to extinguish the fire. The officers and personnel worked hard to rescue the trapped persons, extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.

Advanced Fire Robot and Bronto Skylift hydraulic platform were also used in the operations. The suspected cause of the fire is under investigation. The value of the property damaged is yet to be ascertained," according to a statement issued by Telangana Fire Disaster Response Emergency and Civil Defence.

Revanth Reddy instruct officials to monitor relief operations

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the fire mishap near Gulzar House in the Old City of Hyderabad.

Instructing the top officials to take all necessary measures to save the families trapped in the fire accident, the Chief Minister issued orders to shift the injured to nearby hospitals and provide better medical treatment.

The CM spoke to Minister Ponnam Prabhakar about the fire incident on the phone and ordered to intensify rescue operations . He also inquired about the steps being taken for rescue and relief operations by the Police and Fire Service wings.

CM Revanth Reddy expressed condolences to the victim families on the phone and assured them of all assistance from the government. Director General of Disaster Management and Fire services Nagi Reddy has been asked to closely monitor relief operations.

Condolences from Leaders

"Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on his 'X' account wrote, "I am deeply saddened by the devastating fire tragedy in the Charminar area of Hyderabad, which has claimed several precious lives. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims during this difficult time.

After speaking with the Chief Minister of Telangana, I am assured that the government is taking all necessary relief measures, including providing speedy and adequate compensation to those affected.

I urge Congress workers to rally around the affected families and offer any assistance they can. Let us come together to support those in need and help them through this challenging period."

K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), BRS working president and MLA, also expressed his sorrow in a tweet: “Extremely shocked and pained!! Details emerging out of the Gulzar House fire tragedy in Old City are very sad. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. Hoping and praying that this fire will be contained very soon.”

"Deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the tragic fire at Gulzar House, Hyderabad. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured," said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Andhra Pradesh Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the tragic fire accident in the Old City of Hyderabad. Jagan expressed deep sorrow over the incident in which several people lost their lives in a fire at Gulzar Houz, Mir Chowk, in Hyderabad's Old City.

Jagan also said such an unfortunate incident is extremely painful. He urged the Telangana government to provide the best possible medical care to the injured and extend full support to the families of the deceased.

Names of the Deceased (Confirmed So Far):

Priyanshi (6)

Pratham (13)

Abhisekh Modi (30)

Rajender Kumar (67)

Munnibhai (72)

Sumitra (65)

Iraj (2)

Arushi Jain (17)

Harshali Gupta (7)

Sheetaj Jain (37)

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar assures support to victims

Minister for BC Welfare and Transport Ponnam Prabhakar visited the scene to assess the damage and extended his support to the affected families.

He interacted with victims and instructed health officials to ensure high-quality medical care for the injured. All those affected were swiftly moved to nearby hospitals for treatment, he said.

Prabhakar emphasized that the incident was purely accidental, ruling out any foul play. He praised the prompt action of the fire department and emergency responders, stating that their swift response helped contain the damage and prevented further tragedy.

Minister Prabhakar reiterated the government’s commitment to stand by the grieving families and ensure they receive the help and resources they need.

DGP visit fire accident spot

Telangana DGP Dr Jitender and South Zone DCP Sneha Mehra visited the fire accident spot at Gulzar House near Charminar and reviewed the measures being taken by the authorities concerned.

This is a developing copy