HYDERABAD: More than 20 hours after firefighting and rescue operations began, officials on Sunday morning recovered five bodies from the cellar of Bacha’s Furniture Shop at Nampally here. Even 24 hours after the fire broke out, thick smoke continued to billow from the basement, indicating the intensity of the blaze.
Following the incident, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced an ex gratia of `5 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.
Over 200 personnel from the Fire department, along with nearly 300 officials from other agencies, including the police, NDRF, GHMC and the Water Board, were involved in the rescue operation.
The first body was retrieved at around 9.15 am from the staircase inside the building. The deceased was identified as Bebi (44), a native of Kalaburagi in Karnataka. Subsequently, the bodies of Praneeth Kumar (11), Mohammed Imtiaz (26), Syed Habib (40) and Akhil (7) were recovered from the cellar.
All the bodies were shifted to the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) for postmortem and later handed over to their respective family members for last rites.
Abids police registered a case based on a complaint filed by Thokala Yadaiah, a watchman who lost his two sons, Praneeth and Akhil, in the incident and arrested the owner of the furniture shop, Satish Bacha, in connection with the case.
A Fire department official said rescue teams had to dig near the entrance to access the cellar. After removing parts of the concrete structure, a large volume of smoke escaped, allowing firefighters to enter and retrieve the bodies.
Disaster Response & Fire Services Director General Vikram Singh Mann confirmed that all five victims were found in the basement. He said rescue teams worked round the clock, and firefighters entered the cellar only after the blaze was brought under control.
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials suspect it could have been triggered by a short circuit, a cigarette butt, or a stove.
Highlighting serious violations, Mann said the basement was meant solely for parking, and its use for storage and accommodation amounted to a gross violation of fire safety norms. “This is a totally illegal act, and prosecution will be launched,” he said.
Officials found that highly combustible materials such as rexine and mattresses were stored in the basement, which significantly hampered firefighting efforts and prolonged the blaze. In another major violation, two rooms had been constructed at the rear of the basement to house watchmen and their families.
According to officials, after the fire broke out, the occupants attempted to escape via the ramp, but it was blocked by stored materials. Although a staircase was available, it had been sealed with an iron enclosure and locked, preventing escape and ultimately leading to the deaths.
Meanwhile, engineers who inspected the structure said the building is structurally safe and stable.
Highly combustible items found in basement
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials suspect it could have been triggered by a short circuit, a cigarette butt, or a stove. Officials found that highly combustible materials such as rexine and mattresses were stored in the basement, which significantly hampered firefighting efforts and prolonged the blaze.