A massive fire broke out in the cellar of a commercial building on Road No. 10 in Banjara Hills on Saturday morning, prompting a nearly six-hour firefighting and rescue operation. The fire call was received at 6:36 a.m., and a team of firefighters was immediately dispatched to the scene. The firefighting operation involved six fire tenders, including vehicles from Amberpet, Jubilee Hills, Annapurna, Secunderabad, and Gowliguda, as well as a Bronto Skylift.
Around 30 firefighters were involved in the operation, which was led by District Fire Officer T. Venkanna. The building, which comprised a cellar, ground floor, and six upper floors, was filled with dense smoke, prompting firefighters to use smoke exhausters and protective masks while tackling the flames.
The fire caused significant damage to the building’s cellar, where two electric bikes were completely gutted, and a van of a media house was partially damaged. A carton containing liquor bottles in the cellar was also destroyed in the fire. Fortunately, firefighters were able to evacuate 11 people from the building as a precautionary measure, including those from a vernacular news channel on the ground floor and a hotel on the upper floors.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and is being assessed by fire officials.
