Hyderabad fire: 'CM's posters inside ambulance but no oxygen mask,' grieving kin slam emergency response after blaze kills 17

Hyderabad: A devastating fire claimed 17 lives on Sunday morning in a commercial and residential complex in the Gulzar Houz area of Hyderabad's old city, just 200 meters from the historic Charminar. Among the deceased were eight children, including a one-and-a-half-year-old infant.

The blaze erupted around 6:15 am due to a suspected electrical short circuit in one of the ground floor shops. At the time, 21 family members were asleep on the first and second floors of the building. Seventeen victims were rushed to hospitals but were pronounced dead on arrival, having succumbed to smoke inhalation. According to Telangana State Disaster Response Director Y Nagi Reddy, the majority of victims had no burn injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Prahlad Agarwal (70), Munni (70), Rajendar Modi (65), Sumitra (60), Hamey (7), Abhishek (31), Sheetal (35), Priyansh (4), Iraaj (2), Arushi (3), Rishabh (4), Pratham (18 months), Anuyan (3), Varsha (35), Pankaj (36), Rajini (32) and Iddu (4).

Locals told DH that the family of Prahalad Agarwal, who was among the deceased, had been engaged in the jewelry business and had lived in the building for approximately 125 years. It was their ancestral building and they were a known family in the vicinity. Several relatives were visiting Prahalad's home for summer vacation and were also among those who lost their lives in the fire. Authorities are still working to identify these relatives and their places of origin.

The fire reportedly began at Krishna Pearls, run by the Prahalad family on the ground floor. After a short circuit at the main electrical panels of the shop, an air conditioner exploded, triggering a massive 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," said Telangana Fire and Disaster Response Director General Y Nagi Reddy. "The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. Firefighting, search and rescue operations were carried out simultaneously, and 17 people who were trapped on the first floor were rescued by fire department personnel and shifted to hospital. Now we know that all 17 have died," he added.

Eyewitnesses recount horrifying sight

Before fire tenders and rescue teams arrived, a group of locals acted as first responders and rescued at least 13 people.

"Today being Sunday and Chor Bazar day, my friend and I were heading to set up our shop around 6:10 AM when we heard someone shouting that a building nearby had caught fire. We tried to enter from the backside, but the flames were intense. Somehow, with the help of a few others, we managed to climb upstairs and break open a door. What we discovered was tragic. Seven people were lying together, all of them dead. It was a horrifying sight. But driven by humanity, we pushed ourselves to go in and try to help, even before the fire teams arrived," Zahid, one of the first responders, described his experience.

Family's anger over inadequate emergency response

During a visit to the accident site by Congress MP Anil Kumar Yadav, a family member of the deceased expressed deep frustration over the emergency response. Visibly distraught, he claimed that the ambulance sent to transport victims lacked oxygen masks. He stated that a young girl might have survived had proper medical equipment been available.

"The ambulance had pictures of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy plastered inside but no oxygen masks that could have saved lives," the grieving family member said.

Govt announces Rs 5 lakh ex gratia

Expressing deep grief over the incident, the state government announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu made this announcement while speaking to the media at Osmania mortuary.

"According to preliminary investigation, the fire appears to have been caused by a short circuit," said Bhatti Vikramarka, who also visited the accident site. "The Fire Department received a call about the incident at 6:17 PM, and by 6:20 PM, the firefighters began extinguishing the flames. Measures were taken to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas. Had it not been for this swift response, there could have been significant loss of life and property. We will take all necessary steps to ensure such incidents do not recur at Gulzar House. A serious meeting will be conducted in two to three days to implement preventive measures against such incidents," he added.

Hyderabad in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar rushed to the site as soon as he was informed and monitored the situation on the ground. Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha reached Osmania Hospital and ensured that the injured received proper medical treatment.

The Deputy CM stated that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the entire cabinet were deeply pained by the incident. He assured that the state government would stand by the affected families in all possible ways.