2 killed in blaze at fireworks storage building in Hyderabad, gas leak suspected

A fire services official reported that the first floor of the building, where pastries were being cooked, caught fire and later spread to nearby crackers and cotton boxes stored for sale.

In Short

• Blaze started on first floor, spread to crackers and cotton boxes
• Video showed scores of people gathered around incident area
• Second fire incident in 24 hours, previous fire at fireworks store

Two people, a husband and a wife died, while their 15-year-old relative was injured after a fire broke out at a two-storey building in Hyderabad on Monday night.

A fire services official reported that the first floor of the building, where pastries were being cooked, caught fire and later spread to nearby crackers and cotton boxes stored for sale.

Upon hearing of the incident, local MLA Jaffar Hussain Meraj arrived at the scene, helping coordinate emergency response efforts. The injured were initially rushed to Osmania General Hospital, where doctors declared Mohan Lal and Usha Bai dead on arrival.

Their relative, Shruti, in serious condition, was then transferred to Yashoda Hospital for advanced medical care.

A video surfaced, showing scores of people gathered outside the building that caught fire. Another video shows fire services officials arriving at the spot to douse the fire and police officials reaching the incident spot to conduct an investigation.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a gas leak may have ignited firecrackers present on the premises, fuelling the fire further. This marks the second such fire incident in Hyderabad in just 24 hours.

A massive fire broke out at a wholesale fireworks store in Bogulkunta on Sunday night. The fire spread to the firecrackers that kept exploding for nearly an hour, making the task of dousing the fire difficult even as four fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

A video of the incident showed people trying to escape the store. Some people trying to escape the store were hit by exploding fireworks, the video showed. A person was also injured in the incident.

Vehicles parked close to the store also caught fire, creating a panic among the citizens. The fire was caused due to a short circuit, initial reports had said.