Five storeyed building in commercial hub of Secunderabad burnt in a major fire

Fire reportedly began in the cellar housing the godown of a automobile shop and quickly spread to the entire building

A five storeyed building in the midst of a commercial hub on Ministers road near Begumpet was completely burnt in a major fire accident on Thursday.

The fire which started in the cellar of the building around 11 a.m. continued menacingly to spread to upper floors even as 15 fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames. The fire fighting was still going on at 7 p.m. though the men in operation avoided going inside due to thick smoke and smouldering smell. A few of the firefighters were also reported to have taken ill.

Minister for Home Mohammed Mahmood Ali who visited the scene hoped there were no casualties but the whereabouts of two persons were not known.

It all started with sparks suddenly flying from the cellar which housed the godown of an automobile shop. In no time, there was thick smoke all around and cries for help from from all over the building. Soon people were seen running for their lives.

The fire in the godown rose to the ground floor comprising a garments showroom and then to the first floor where a sportswear shop did business. It did not take long for the fire to spread to three other floors on top as they were stocked with goods that were vulnerable to ignition. Smoke billowed from the building and clouding the entire area. Fire also spread to four other buildings in the neighbourhood.

As the flushing of water to douse the flames did not yield result, the firemen tried to put out the fire with chemicals. The police vacated the slum behind the building and shifted cooking gas cylinders from residences. Officials of GHMC led by the chief of Disaster Response Force Kumar Viswajeet rushed to the site to take safety measures for nearby houses in the event of the building collapsing.