30 shops gutted in Kondagattu blaze; delay in fire tenders blamed

A massive fire gutted about 30 shops near the foothills of Kondagattu in Mallial mandal late Saturday night. The blaze, suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit, spread through toy and general stores along the Jagtial–Karimnagar road. Shopkeepers alleged that a delay in fire tenders worsened the damage, while devotees criticised the absence of a dedicated fire engine at the Kondagattu temple.

Jagtial: About 30 shops were gutted in a fire that swept through Kondagattu of Mallial mandal late on Saturday night. The blaze erupted in a cluster of shops at the foothills of the Kondagattu hillocks.

A series of toy and general stores stretching from the Pedda Hanuman statue to the Jagtial–Karimnagar main road were engulfed by the flames. A short circuit is said to have triggered the fire. Fire department personnel had to fight the flames for several hours through the night after fire tenders from Jagtial, Dharmapuri and Karimnagar reached the spot.

Shop owners said their shops were burnt completely due to the delay in arrival of fire tenders. Though the incident occurred at around 11.30 pm, fire engines reached the spot after an hour, they alleged.

Devotees and local residents expressed anger over the absence of a dedicated fire engine at the Kondagattu temple, a prominent Hanuman shrine in the State, arguing that the delay worsened the damage.

Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar along with senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy visited Kondagattu and examined the mishap site. Local MLA Medipally Satyam also visited the spot.

Collector Satya Prasad announced an immediate assistance of Rs 5,000 to the affected and instructed officials to provide food, clothes and other essential commodities to the affected families. Tahsildhar and other officials were asked to submit a detailed report on the fire accident.

BRS leader and former MLA Sunke Ravishankar provided Rs 5,000 financial assistance to each family. Knowing about the incident, the Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar spoke to the Collector over phone.