HYDERABAD: Three people have been confirmed dead in a fire that broke out at a building in Nampally, officials said on Sunday. The victims’ bodies have been shifted to Osmania Hospital for post-mortem examination.According to a fire department official, “We’ve identified three dead bodies and are shifting them to Osmania hospital for post-mortem examination. Huge smoke is still coming from the building. We suspect a total of five people were trapped in the building, and the rescue operation is underway.”The five people feared trapped in the cellar were identified as brothers Praneeth Kumar (11) and Akhil Kumar (7), Mohammed Imtiaz (26), Mohammed Habeeb (40), and Bebi (45). The children lived in the cellar with their families.Imtiaz and Habeeb were employed at the showroom and were involved in transporting goods, while Bebi, a watchwoman, lived in the cellar with her two sons.Sources said the ground floor housed furniture for sale, while the cellar stored foam, wooden materials, and chemicals, which may have fuelled the rapid spread of the fire. The upper floors were also used as furniture showrooms. The establishment had been operating for nearly eight years in the Hindi Prachar Sabha complex and employed around 40 workers.Case likely against showroom ownerThe showroom owner, Satish Batcha, is absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him. “The showroom owner is absconding. If he was present, rescue operations could be conducted faster. This is very irresponsible. He took the building on lease, and we need to check whether the upper floors were constructed with approval or illegally,” Hyderabad district collector Harichandana Dasari told STOI.A criminal case is likely to be registered against the owner soon at the Abids police station.Rescue teams from Telangana Fire Services, SDRF, NDRF, and HYDRAA were pressed into service. Though the fire was largely brought under control by late evening, heavy smoke continued to billow from the building, severely hampering access to the cellar.Firefighters attempted entry by breaking window panes on upper floors and walls on the ground floor. A senior NDRF official said, “We deployed six water pipes inside to reach the cellar, but the heat was so intense that our personnel could not proceed beyond a few stairs. Our smoke ventilator was also burnt. We are now finding other ways to enter.”Around 16 fire tenders, along with a broncho skylift and a firefighting robot, were deployed. Rescue efforts were still underway at the time of filing this report, and residents of nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution.Meanwhile, the Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has registered a complaint alleging serious lapses by government authorities in connection with the fire accident.Expressing shock, the state revenue, housing, information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy ordered officials to submit a detailed report on the massive fire at the Nampally showroom.(With Agency Inputs)
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