"Woman Hugged Children, Burned In Embrace": What Hyderabad Fire Saviour Saw

Shortly after a fire broke out in a home in the busy market area near Hyderabad's Charminar, local residents rushed in as first responders and started bringing out those trapped inside. Zahir, who has a bangle business, was among them. Speaking to NDTV in the aftermath of the tragedy, which left 17 people of a family dead, he described a heartbreaking sight: a woman had embraced her children in a last-ditch attempt to protect them from the flames. They were charred in that last embrace.

"We managed to get inside shortly after the fire started. The flames were huge. Inside the room, a woman had hugged children. She was dead," Zahir said.

According to the information so far, the fire appears to have started due to an electrical problem and the victims were caught unawares because they were sleeping. The nature of construction proved to be a major obstacle in rescue work. Most shops in this market are at least a century old, and rooms are constructed on top of them. There is a row of windows on top of the line of shops and most of these windows are presumably closed at night when air-conditioners are on. In the case of a fire, this would lead to a massive build-up of smoke in the small rooms. Another problem is the single, narrow entry point to access the rooms.

Zahir said it was very difficult to get inside. "We brought out 13 people. We could not see anything due to the smoke. We pulled down a wall to get inside," he said, adding that most victims burned to death and smoke choked the others.

A statement from the Telangana fire department has identified the 17 victims. Eight of them are children, the youngest just one. Four are senior citizens and five are women. Only one family member survived because she was out for a walk.

Y Nagi Reddy, director general of Telangana fire services, told NDTV that the fire engines reached the spot minutes after the fire call. "The main problem here is only one entrance. A very narrow staircase leads to the first and second floors. So in the case of a fire, there is no way of escape."

He said the fire seems to have started at the electrical mains and then spread to the shops on the ground floor. "Then the smoke spread to the other floors, a lot of heat was generated in the area," he said, adding that inhaling smoke makes people unconscious, making escape difficult.

Mr Reddy urged shopkeepers in the area must understand that fire would not spare anybody and take adequate precautions to ensure safety.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said he was "deeply anguished" by the loss of lives in the fire. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the PMO said in a post on X.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has expressed shock over the incident and asked officials to step up relief efforts and ensure the best treatment for those injured.

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