Firecrackers godown goes up in flames

The entire building in the busy street of Begum Bazaar was engulfed by a huge smoke

Hyderabad: A 3-floor building went up in flames after firecrackers stockpiled for Diwali caught fire near Aziz Plaza in Begum Bazaar on Saturday. Fire tenders pressed into service which controlled the flames.

According to police, the crackers caught fire due to short-circuit in the afternoon, once the power in the area was restored after a regular two-hour power-cut. People who heard huge sounds, ran helter skelter. The entire building in the busy street of Begum Bazaar was soon engulfed by huge smoke. Five fire tenders, which arrived at the scene, fought a three-hour-long battle to control the flames.

Locals blamed Srinivasa Traders for storing firecrackers in the busy market place. They pointed out that the owner of the godown failed to take any precautionary measure and had stockpiled crackers worth several lakhs of rupees for Diwali.

Police booked a case against the proprietor of Srinivasa Traders, Ramesh (50) for 'negligence'. “He got the license, but as he stored the crackers on the first floor, it amounts to violation. We booked him for negligence,” said P Sattaiah, Inspector, Shahinayatgunj.