Fire breaks out in Banjara Hills building cellar, 11 rescued

A fire broke out in a building cellar in Banjara Hills early Saturday, prompting a nearly six-hour rescue and firefighting operation. Eleven people were rescued, while six fire tenders and around 50 firefighters battled thick smoke and flames.

HYDERABAD: A fire broke out in the cellar of a building on Road No 10 in Banjara Hills in the early hours of Saturday, triggering a major firefighting and rescue operation that lasted nearly six hours.

On receiving information, fire and emergency services personnel, along with HYDRAA teams, rushed to the spot and rescued 11 people from the building. Six fire tenders and around 50 firefighters were deployed to bring the blaze under control.

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District Fire Officer K Venkanna said the cellar housed a wine shop godown and had thick smoke, making it difficult for firefighters to enter and reach the source of the fire. Firefighters used breathing apparatus to enter the smoke-filled cellar, while smoke exhausters were deployed to clear the fumes and facilitate the firefighting operation.

Two electric bikes and a four-wheeler parked in the cellar were damaged in the fire. Some material stored in the cellar was also gutted.

The intense smoke hampered firefighting efforts, and personnel had to work cautiously for several hours before bringing the situation under control. The cause of the fire and the total extent of the damage are being ascertained.