Hyderabad fire: How the narrow entrance of the century-old building made rescue almost impossible

The firefighters who tried going through the entrance of the age-old house in Hyderabad that caught fire described it as a ‘tunnel’. The two-storeyed house is in Gulzar Houz, a locality which is close to Charminar in the old city of Hyderabad. The area dotted with jewellery shops has historical importance, as some of the constructions here date back to the Nizam era. 

 

The property of Prahlad Modi’s family, who lost their lives in the fire, by some unverified estimates, are as old as a century. The family, which is originally from north India, had migrated to the city more than 120 years back and ventured into the jewellery business. Currently, the family owns multiple shops. 

 

Modi's was a joint family staying on the first and second floors behind their string of shops which were facing the road on the ground floor. On Saturday night, a few relatives got added to the existing family, and 21 members rested for the night. However, only four could make it out alive the next day, as 17 of them perished.

 

Fire Department Director General Y. Nagi Reddy informed that as per preliminary investigation, the fire began in the electrical panel near the entrance and blocked off the exit and entrance access to the house. The narrow L-shaped entrance leads to stairs behind the shops that go to the first and second floors where the residents stay. The smoke from the fire quickly spread through and reached the upper floors in no time, leading to the asphyxiation of the inmates. 

 

“Most of the deaths were due to the thick smoke and not burn injuries. Some of the deceased’s clothes were intact, and their clothes did not catch fire.” 

 

The L-shaped narrow entrance turned the entire house into a trap, as neither the fire workers could go inside nor the residents could come out. The fact that the old building had ample wood in the interiors and a lack of balconies further aggravated the situation. Those who could move to the terrace were somehow rescued. To gain entrance to the upper floors, the fire officials had to drill a hole and break through the wall of the adjoining structure. Since the ‘tunnel’ was blowing out black smoke, the officials found it difficult to put out the fire which was raging inside using the water. 

 

According to officials, the narrow entrance passage did not have a roof, which turned the spot into a furnace, supplying it the necessary air and aiding in its spread. The fire department officials are planning to conduct fire audits and create awareness among locals on how to be alert in the event of a fire accident, as the old city has narrow streets and access to houses is limited due to space crunch, which makes the movement of fire engines almost impossible. 

India