Hyderabad : Fire Near Charminar That Killed 17 Is Worst in Recent Memory

A devastating fire in a building near the historic Charminar on Sunday has claimed 17 lives, marking one of the worst fire-related tragedies Hyderabad has witnessed in recent years. The incident has once again spotlighted the glaring lack of fire safety compliance in multi-storey structures, particularly those mixing commercial and residential use.

The blaze erupted early Sunday morning in a G+2 building at Gulzar Houz, a busy commercial hub in the Old City. Preliminary reports suggest an electrical short-circuit may have triggered the fire. The flames quickly spread through the structure, trapping residents inside. Among the victims were eight children.

Like many buildings in the area, the ground floor of the ill-fated structure housed commercial shops while families lived on the upper floors. This combination of residential and commercial use — often in buildings that lack proper safety protocols — has become a recurring and deadly pattern in Hyderabad.

The tragedy comes just two days after a similar fire incident was reported in Afzalgunj, a commercial neighborhood not far from Charminar. In that case, a fire broke out in a G+3 building. Though there were no casualties, eight people, including an infant, were rescued by firefighters. An electrical short-circuit was also suspected as the cause of that fire.

Over the past few years, Hyderabad, along with its twin city Secunderabad and surrounding suburbs, has seen a troubling increase in fire-related accidents. After each incident, authorities have vowed stricter enforcement of fire safety norms, but meaningful change has remained elusive.

In July 2024, a 10-year-old girl died and five others were injured in a fire in a multi-storey building in the Jiyaguda area. The fire started in a furniture warehouse on the ground floor and spread to the residential floors above.

Just months earlier, in November 2023, a horrific fire in a building at Nampally claimed 10 lives and injured 12. The blaze began in a chemical storage area on the ground floor and quickly engulfed the three upper floors where six families were residing. The chemical materials stored there were intended for use in manufacturing fiber cooler bodies.

In March 2023, a massive fire broke out on the fifth floor of the well-known Swapnalok Complex in Secunderabad, leading to the deaths of six people, including four women. Thirteen people were trapped; while seven were rescued, the rest succumbed to suffocation.

January 2023 saw three garment store workers charred to death in a six-storey commercial building on Ministers Road, Nallagutta, Secunderabad. The fire took two days to be brought under control, and the structure was eventually demolished due to structural damage.

Another tragic incident occurred in September 2022, when eight people lost their lives and nine were injured in a fire that engulfed the Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel in Secunderabad. The fire originated from an e-bike showroom in the building’s basement. The hotel, located in a five-storey building near the Passport Office, had inadequate fire safety measures in place.

In March 2022, 11 migrant workers from Bihar were killed in a warehouse fire in Secunderabad. The workers had been asleep on the upper floors, unaware of the fire that began in the scrap material stored below.

Following these and other similar disasters, the previous BRS government had issued directives to clamp down on illegal commercial activity in residential buildings and to enforce fire safety regulations. However, enforcement has remained inconsistent.

Sunday’s tragedy has once again stirred political and public outrage. Union Minister and Secunderabad MP G. Kishan Reddy, who visited the site, called for immediate and coordinated action from the police, fire services, GHMC, and the electricity department to ensure strict adherence to fire safety norms. The Telangana government has announced an inquiry into the incident.

Unless urgent steps are taken to improve fire safety infrastructure and enforce compliance, experts fear such avoidable tragedies will continue to plague the city.

Team Maverick.