Illegal tapping into electricity led to Gulzar Houz fire incident

Hyderabad: The tragic fire accident which claimed the lives of 17 persons at Gulzar Houz near Charminar in Old City did not happen because of a short circuit but a blast in the compressor. Investigations indicated that the fire was sparked by locals illegally tapping into electricity from high-tension wires.

According to the officials, with the illegal use of electricity, the load on the current meters increased significantly.

The investigation reports indicate that the excessive load led to a fire in the meter box of the affected house. Subsequently, it was discovered that the wooden panel adjacent to the meter box ignited. It is suspected that flames from the panel reached the AC compressor, resulting in a swift spread of the fire and a significant incident.

The officials revealed that there are four stores on the ground floor, and there was wood paneling work going on in one of the stores. The fire started from the store and spread to the first floor. The air conditioner compressor was affected due to the fire. The building where the fire incident was reported is said to be 120 years old. There was only one entrance to the building. The shops also did not have a single fire extinguisher.

“The building structure was old, and the air circulation was poor. The ground floor and first floor were like an exhaust, and due to this, firefighters encountered a lot of heat,” said Telangana Fire Department Director General, Y Nagi Reddy.

An FIR has been filed in this case. Consequently, local police and fire officials are collaborating on an investigation. The investigation team is also gathering information from the family members of the victim who visited the site of the fire.

The four shops are fully gutted, and an assessment will be done of the materials stored.

Meanwhile, fire department officials faced several challenges during the rescue operation. Nagi Reddy said, “There was only a single staircase leading to the upper floors, measuring less than 1 meter in width and situated centrally within the building. There is no alternative staircase or exit route to access the upper floors. The ground floor access is completely obstructed by bikes, which not only block the exit but also serve as additional fuel for the fire.”

To save time and to rescue trapped persons quickly, while firefighting was going on in the ground floor, the firefighters had to drill hole in a wall in the first floor to enter and start rescue and fire fighting operations in the first floor. As many as 17 people died in the fire. Of them, nine were adults and eight were children.