Rain, power fluctuation may have caused Secunderabad Club fire

Hyderabad: Households around Secunderabad Club, that fall under the Cantonment board, witnessed power fluctuations resulting in damage to electrical equipment in the wee hours of 16 January. The electrical fluctuation reportedly led to a short circuit at the Secunderabad Club resulting in a massive fire that damaged property worth Rs. 25 crore.

The Hyderabad police have sought a report from the fire department and the director of EVDM.

"The preliminary investigation points to a short circuit due to power fluctuations caused by a sudden unseasonal rainfall in the Secunderabad area on the intervening night of 15 and 16 January," a Club member told NewsMeter.

The debris following the fire is yet to be removed from the site and the insurance company is yet to conduct a ground inspection and provide estimates, the member added.

A huge fire broke out at the Secunderabad Club at 3 a.m on Sunday. Within minutes, the main building was reduced to ashes. Seven firefighters were at the spot and it took two hours to control the fire. The fire control room received a call at 3:15 a.m and immediately fire tenders rushed to the spot. Water bowsers from the Secunderabad fire station were called for assistance. The flames spread swiftly as it was a wooden structure. So, a multi-purpose fire tender from the fire station in the Cantonment was rushed to the spot.

As the fire spread, water-cum-foam tender from the fire station in Snorkel, a water tender from the fire station in Moula Ali, a water bowser from Secretariat, and a multi-purpose tender from Secretariat were also pressed into service to douse the flames.

The internal staircase of the building made of wood was completely destroyed so the firefighting operations were conducted using the external staircase. However, these stairs didn't have access to the first and second floors of the building. With great difficulty, the firefighters doused the fire from the windows of the first and second floors.

After three hours, the fire was brought under control and it was completely extinguished by 8:40 a.m.

As per the statement issued by the Club, the areas which suffered damages are the Colonnade Bar, the billiards room, the ballroom upstairs, the main reception, and the staircase leading to the first floor. The Club will remain closed till further notice.

The Club said that all staff and members are safe. Fortunately, all data and documents were digitized and are also safe.