A massive fire broke out Secunderabad Club, one of the country’s oldest, in the early hours of Sunday, destroying the 144-year-old edifice completely.
A fire department official said they received information about the blaze in the heritage building at about 3am. “We rushed 10 fire tenders to the building immediately. It took about three to four hours to bring the flames under control. The entire club has been gutted to ashes,” the official said.
“The club was closed on Saturday on account of Sankranti festival. The fire accident might have started due to short circuit,” the official said.
Fire department officials said they had to struggle a lot to put out the fire due to the presence of “a lot of combustible material” in the premises. Several gas cylinders are believed to have exploded in the fire.
Prominent heritage conservationist Anuradha Reddy and also a member of Secunderabad Club, said the club, established by the British in 1878, is one of the oldest clubs in India.
{{/usCountry}}Prominent heritage conservationist Anuradha Reddy and also a member of Secunderabad Club, said the club, established by the British in 1878, is one of the oldest clubs in India.
{{/usCountry}}“The club is very close to my residence. I thought there was some accident. This morning, I came to know about the incident,” Reddy, who is also convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), said, adding that she heard loud noises earlier in the morning.
The club’s century-old Main Club House was given heritage status by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority in 2017.
The club has a 8,000 members including military officers, bureaucrats, diplomats, police officials, professionals, scientists and businessmen.