Two charred to death in firecracker shop fire in Vijayawada

Two persons were charred to death in a fire that broke out in a cluster of firecracker shops in Vijayawada in the small hours of Sunday.

City Commissioner of Police T K Rana said the mishap occurred when the shop owners were unloading stocks early in the morning. “Two persons who were asleep in one of the shops were killed in the incident,” he said after visiting the spot.

Three crackers shops were burnt down fully but quick response by the Fire Services personnel prevented the fire from destroying 16 other shops on the premises. People residing in houses in the vicinity were jolted from their sleep following the explosive sound caused by the fire.

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There is a petrol pumping station opposite the ground where the crackers shops were set up for the Deepavali festival but luckily the blaze did not spread, as at least four fire tenders rushed to the spot to put out the fire. Police and fire services personnel were yet to determine the cause of the fire.

Local MLA Malladi Vishnu and city Mayor R Bhagya Lakshmi also visited the accident scene. Local residents raised a protest over permitting the fire crackers shops in the ground when a petrol pumping station was located right opposite it.

"What would have happened if the sparks flew to the petrol pump?" they angrily questioned the authorities. BJP state general secretary S Vishnuvardhan Reddy demanded that a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each be paid to the kin of the two workers killed in the mishap.