Silent Tragedy: Locals Recall Rescue Efforts After Devastating Fire in Hyderabad’s Charminar Area

Early Sunday morning, residents of the densely packed lanes near Charminar in Hyderabad’s Old City were jolted awake by the smell of smoke. A fire engulfed a three-storey building in the Gulzar Houz locality, tragically killing 17 family members, including eight children.

The fire brigade received its first distress call at 6:16 am, with the initial fire engine dispatched within a minute, according to Y Nagi Reddy, Director General of Fire Safety. Yet locals believe the fire had been raging unnoticed for some time before help arrived.

When rescue teams began searching for survivors, neighbors described an eerie silence from inside the burning building. “There was no sound except the crackling of flames. Not a single call for help,” said Zubhan, a local shopkeeper.

Another resident, Zaman, shared, “We woke up to the smell of smoke and saw fire engines already battling flames on the first floor.”

Officials revealed that the first responders struggled to contain the fire alone, prompting additional teams to join the operation. The rescue was hindered by a single narrow staircase — just one meter wide — that was choked with smoke. The ground-floor entrance was blocked by parked motorcycles whose fuel further intensified the blaze, said Nagi Reddy.

Firefighters deployed an Advanced Fire Robot and Skylift hydraulic platform to extinguish the fire, uncovering heartbreaking scenes inside. Zubhan recounted how rescuers shouted about bodies found in every room, including a mother trapped with her two children.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire started on the ground floor, where a jewellery store was located and likely caught fire due to a short circuit. The blaze quickly spread upwards between 3 and 4 am, according to fire personnel.

By 10:30 am, 17 unconscious victims had been recovered and later pronounced dead in city hospitals. Officials noted that timely control of the fire prevented further destruction to surrounding buildings. The Telangana Chief Minister’s Office reported that 40 residents from nearby structures were safely evacuated.

The tragic incident drew several political leaders to the site, including BJP Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and others. Owaisi mentioned that the family had been longtime residents of the building, calling them “an old family of Charminar.”

Local resident Ghouse added that eight family members lived permanently in the building, while others had gathered for summer vacations.