Inferno at timber depot

• Major fire breaks out at Musheerabad at the wee hours of Monday
• Fire Brigade men take 8 hours to douse fire
• Authorities seem to close their eyes on fire safety norms

The usual Monday morning went haywire for residents of Musheerabad as a major fire broke out at Kalpana Timber Depot. The fire started at around 2am and it took eight long hours for the fire brigade to battle the inferno. Though it was fortunate that there were no human casualties, damage to stock in the depot and the buildings nearby was estimated to run into lakhs. But the accident raises pertinent questions. Why were the authorities sleeping over an impending disaster despite complaints from the residents? Why were no safety checks in place despite a series of fire accidents in the year?

In the wee hours on Monday, a major fire broke out at a timber depot in Musheerabad. Preliminary investigations proved that the fire broke out due to short-circuit in the depot’s electrical mainframe. As the depot had dried timber and teak logs, the blaze caught on instantly. Though, the fire started at 2am, it was noticed only after two hours. The neighbouring residents called the fire tenders who rushed to the spot with four fire engines to battle the flames. The ordeal with the inferno went on until noon. After the fire was doused, it was confirmed that there were no human casualties. But the loss of property was huge as large chunks of wood were reduced to ashes.

Officials who oversaw the fire fighting includedSomesh Kumar, GHMC Commissioner, K Siva Paravathi, Zonal Commissioner, Central Zone; and VB Kamalasan Reddy, DCP-Central Zone.

A resident of the locality said, “We didn’t notice the fire until four in the morning. It was at this time that we felt an uneasy heat wave in our house. When we saw that the whole depot was ablaze, we immediately called the fire-tenders.”

Quick thinking by firemen

As soon as the fire fighters reached the spot, one team rushed to the neighbouring houses and removed all the gas cylinders and inflammable objects. This was done to avert a potential disaster. It took nearly eight hours for them to douse the fire. As the fire engines ran out of capacity, the fire safety officers connected the hose to pipes from neighbouring houses. Their exemplary work was lauded by one and all.

JCB added fuel to the fire

A JCB that was left unattended on the road was a major hurdle initially. At first it occupied nearly three fourths of the road, obstructing the movement of fire tenders to reach the spot. After much trouble, it was moved to the adjoining lane. There again, it limited the movement of the fire tenders. As a result, the fire safety officers had to douse the fire from the balconies of a nearby apartment.

8-hour ordeal

It took eight hours for the fire fighters to douse the fire. As soon as the firemen reached the spot, they realised that the source of fire was at the bottom of the timber depot. So a JCB was put in place to dismantle the shed. Logs of wood which were stacked in the depot, was cleared layer by layer. Two nearby houses were partially damaged and blackened by soot and so was an apartment abutting the timber depot.

Speaking to Hyderabad Hans, a fire-fighter said, “The flames were rising and we could not directly hit the source of fire. We were able to put it off only by noon. Thankfully there was no loss of human life.”

What GHMC has to say

Considering the fact that the depot was located in a residential area, the extent of damage could have been very high. But due to the timely action by the fire brigade, a major fire accident was prevented. But on the flipside, a depot of such type should not be located in a residential area. The GHMC Commissioner, Somesh Kumar, said, “We will look into the matter and issue notices to all such depots and industries located in residential areas.”

Why timber depots are located in residential areas?

Though it is a residential area, there are around 15 timber depots in the area. Reports with the GHMC suggest that not many of them have proper permissions. There were complaints that some of them don’t follow proper fire safety norms. Residents of the neighbouring apartments said that they had been complaining for a number of years now to the authorities and no action whatsoever had been taken. In the wake of the accident, many are questioning the inaction by the authorities.

Owner’s woes

Laxmaiah, the owner of the depot, who wasn’t seen until the fire was completely doused, was taken to the Musheerabad police station. Speaking to Hyderabad Hans, he said, “The loss that I have incurred today is approximately Rs 15-20 lakh.” He admitted that he did not possess any insurance.