A major fire broke out in a five-storey commercial building in Secunderabad here on Thursday and authorities evacuated residents of the adjoining buildings following the blaze which was brought under control after a seven-hour long operation.
A blanket of thick black smoke engulfed the area for several hours.
No one was injured, and unconfirmed reports said two persons were trapped in the building.
Asked about some reports of two people being stuck there, Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, who visited the spot, said though it is being said that way, but it was not confirmed.
“Unless we search inside, we can’t say anything,” said officials engaged in the firefighting operation.
Observing that fire personnel were not able to go into the building due to the intensity of the flames, they said even if somebody was stuck, there were no chances of survival in view of the smoke and fire.
As many as 24 vehicles including over a dozen fire-engines were rushed to the spot to extinguish the blaze, officials said.
The fire was brought under control after seven hours of fire-fighting, and efforts were on to douse the blaze which was still continuing on the first floor.
Officials said four people trapped in the building were rescued — three of them were rescued from the terrace of the building using a hydraulic platform, while another was rescued from the fourth floor.
Two fire personnel, who fell ill while dousing the flames, were hospitalised.
Power supply was disconnected in the area in the wake of the incident, officials said.
The blaze started at around 11 AM, and the fire is suspected to have started from the cellar of the building and spread to the other floors. After noticing smoke emanating from the cellar, some people alerted the Fire Department.
“We rescued four people. Two fire personnel were shifted to a hospital after they inhaled smoke during the fire-fighting operation,” a senior Fire Department official told PTI.
In one of the floors, a car décor accessories shop and a sports store were housed, while stock of rexine, foam, plastic apart from cloth material, seat covers, and some other inflammable materials were stocked in another floor and also dumped in the cellar, he said.
Because of flammable material, the smoke got intense and engulfed the entire structure and it took a long time to extinguish the flames, he said.
Asked about the cause of the blaze, the official said that would be known once the fire is completely extinguished and an investigation carried out.
Personnel of Fire Department, police and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were involved in the firefighting.
TV visuals showed cracks in the building in the wake of the massive fire. Necessary arrangements were made to deal with the situation even if the building collapses, another official said.
People from surrounding buildings were evacuated, a senior police official said, adding people residing in surrounding houses and shops were evacuated and gas cylinders were also moved out of those premises.
Local residents said the building seems to be on the verge of collapse. They said, “We are scared”.
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