Major fire breaks out in 5-storey building; 4 trapped people rescued, no casualties

A major fire broke out in a five-storey building in Secunderabad here on Thursday and authorities evacuated residents of the adjoining buildings as the blaze did not subside even after five hours of fire-fighting. No one was injured.

A blanket of thick black smoke engulfed the area.

Officials said four people trapped in the building were rescued with the help of a crane.

Over a dozen fire-engines rushed to the spot so did water-tankers to extinguish the blaze, they said.

The blaze started at around 11 AM, and the fire is suspected to have started from the cellar of the building and spread to the other floors that housed a sports shop.

"We rescued four people. Two fire personnel were shifted to a hospital after they inhaled smoke," a senior Fire Department official told PTI.

In one of the floors, car d cor accessories, sports equipment and nylon material were stored, he said.

Asked about the cause of the blaze, the official said it was too early to comment.

Personnel of Fire Department, police and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams were involved in the firefighting. Efforts were on to douse the flames, another official said.

People from surrounding buildings have been evacuated. Top priority is to prevent any loss of life. The flames are spreading. Necessary arrangements are being made to deal with the situation even if the building collapses, he said.

A senior police official said, "If we are controlling the fire on one side, it is erupting from the other side. People residing in surrounding houses and shops were evacuated and gas cylinders were also moved out of those premises".

Locals residents said the building seems to be on the verge of getting collapsed. They said, "We are scared"