At least 17 people were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a building in Gulzar Houz near the historic Charminar on Sunday.
According to a Fire Department official, they received a call at around 6:30 am and rushed to the spot. Several people were found unconscious and were shifted to various hospitals. Two narrow entrances—one leading to the first-floor residence and another, slightly wider, to the enclosed shopping space—contributed to the disastrously high toll.
While no one was present in the shops at the time, several families were staying in rooms on the upper floors. Due to the fire, an air conditioner compressor in one of the shops exploded, causing the blaze to engulf the entire building and trapping several residents inside.
Despite their efforts, the intensity of the fire and thick smoke made rescue operations extremely challenging. Several occupants reportedly lost consciousness due to smoke inhalation and were rushed to nearby hospitals, including Osmania General Hospital, Yashoda Hospital (Malakpet), and DRDO Apollo Hospital.
According to the latest information, the deceased have been identified as Rajendra Kumar (67), Abhishek Modi (30), Sumitra (65), Munnibai (72), Arushi Jain (17), Sheetal Jain (37), Iraj (2), Harshali Gupta (7), Rajani Agarwal, Anya Modi, Pankaj Modi, Varsha Modi, Iddikki Modi, Rishabh, Pratham Agarwal, and Pranshu Agarwal. The ages of some of the victims are yet to be ascertained.
“The incident that happened, 17 persons of a family died, this family has been residing here for 125 years, now only two members of the family are left, I want to give my condolence. I believe that after the fire service report comes, what will be the dos and don’ts, I was informed that most of the deaths did not happen due to burn injuries, but due to suffocation or fumes, let the report come, it is very painful,” said Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that measures will be taken to avoid such fire tragedies.
A meeting on the issue will be held in a few days, he added.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, stating that the loss of 17 lives was heartbreaking. He assured full support to the families of the victims and instructed officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep shock and anguish over the fire tragedy at Gulzar Houz in Hyderabad. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
He announced that an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased, and ₹50,000 to each injured person.
