A firefighter who had just stepped off the crane leaned against the road divider, looking up at the charred building. When a fellow fighter offered him some water to drink, he instead used it to wash his face. Minutes later, he was back on the crane, which had ventured to inspect the first floor rumbles.
“We still feel the smoke in the back of our throats, and it was very difficult to sleep last night,” Veerlakshmi, who lives near the fire-hit Deccan Corporate building, recalled.
“We could see the smoke from our terrace. There were a lot of people here yesterday night. Police jeeps, Fire brigades, everyone was here. The entire road is blocked and vehicles are also not allowed,” she added.
The accident happened in an area with commercial properties on the main road and surrounded by slums. Police officers were stationed on either side of the Minister’s Road, diverting traffic. All of the local shops and businesses were also closed for the day.
“We were asked to remove cylinders from all our houses to avoid any further incidents. There was no electricity as well, so we couldn’t even cook at home,” says Narsing Rao, who lives nearby.
Torch lights and packaged meals from a nearby mess helped the locals get through the night. If and when the building is demolished, officials are working on alternative housing for the residents.
A team of doctors from Gandhi Hospital arrived late in the afternoon and set up a medical camp to treat residents who had inhaled smoke from the fire.
Two brave firefighters were admitted to a private hospital after becoming ill while fighting the massive fire and rescuing people at Minister’s Road.
V.Dhanunjaya Reddy, Assistant District Fire Officer, and Narsing Rao, the driver and operator of the Bronto Skylift hydraulic platform vehicle, who were leading the firefighting operation from the front and rescued three people trapped in the fire on Thursday morning, had inhaled thick smoke and become ill.
They were taken to the hospital, where Dhanunjaya Reddy was said to be safe, but Rao’s condition, who had been injured in the process, remained critical. He was receiving the best care available.
GHMC avails services of NIT Warangal
Before taking action against the owners of the Ramgopalpet building where a massive fire broke out on Thursday, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) availed the services of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Warangal, and its Director, NV Ramana Rao.
The NIT team inspected the building on Friday and will submit a report to the GHMC regarding its structural stability.
“Based on the report, further action will be initiated. Whether the building should be demolished or not will be decided based on the reports submitted by the NIT. If the building is demolished the charges will be collected by the owner of the building,” said a GHMC official.
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