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What led to the Hyderabad building fire that killed 17? Official reveals cause
The fire broke out at the Krishna Pearls shop and the residential building in Hyderabad's Gulzar Houz area on Sunday morning.
A fire in a building that killed at least 17 people in Hyderabad’s Gulzar Houz near Chaarminar was caused by a short circuit, the preliminary inquiry into the incident by the fire department showed.
The fire broke out at the Krishna Pearls shop and the residential building in the Gulzar Houz area on Sunday morning. A total of 11 fire engines were dispatched to the spot to bring the blaze under control.
According to a statement by the Telangana disaster response and fire services director general Y Nagi Reddy, the initial inquiry showed that the cause of the fire was a short circuit.
"The preliminary examination shows that the cause was a short circuit. The cause of death of all the people was smoke inhalation, "nobody had burn injuries," ANI news agency quoted Reddy as saying.
Reddy revealed that the fire department got a call about the blaze at 6:16 AM and within a minute dispatched 11 fire engines with the required staff. The firefighters had to use oxygen masks and breathing apparatus to rescue the people trapped in the building.
"There was no deficiency in the fire department fighting the fire and rescuing the people... The building had only one entryway of two metres, like a tunnel. There is only one staircase of one metre to access the first and second floors. This made the escape and rescue operation very difficult. By 9 am, the fire was under control... A total of 21 people were inside the building... The cause of death is smoke inhalation; nobody had burn injuries," the fire official said.
The list of the deceased released by the Telangana Fire Disaster Response Emergency and Civil Defence includes the names of eight children under the age of 10.
The youngest in the list was identified as 1.5 years old, Prathan. The seven other children have been identified as 7-year-old Hamey, 4-year-old Priyansh, 2-year-old Iraaj, 3-year-old Arushi, 4-year-old Rishabh, 3-year-old Anuyan, and 4-year-old Iddu.
PM Modi, CM Reddy express shock; ex gratia announced
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish at the loss of life in the Hyderabad building fire. He also announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakhs for the families of those who lost their lives. ₹50,000 will be given to those who were injured in the mishap.
According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s office, the ex gratia will be provided from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy also expressed deep shock over the mishap and instructed top officials to take all necessary measures to save the families trapped in the fire accident. He issued orders to shift the injured to nearby hospitals and provide better medical treatment.
