Nine burnt alive as fire breaks out in illegal chemical godown

Hyderabad: A major fire that broke out in an illegal chemical godown housed in an apartment claimed the lives of nine people in Hyderabad on Monday. A just-born baby and four women were among those charred to death.
Four of the victims belonged to a single family. The fire that broke out in the chemical godown spread first to the automobile garage in the cellar of an apartment in Bazarghat. The entire building was engulfed in flames in no time.
Eight other people suffered serious burns in this accident. Many of the residents of the apartment failed to come out because of the smoke spewing out of the chemical store. Some women trapped in the building were rescued by neighbors who ventured into the apartment in flames, risking their own lives.
Governor Tamilsai expressed shock over the incident. She wanted the officials to extend the best possible treatment to those hospitalized with severe burns. The Minister for Home, Md Mahmood and the Minister for Municipal Administration visited the spot and took stock of the situation.
They were all taken to Osmania Hospital for treatment. A car and six two-wheelers parked in front of the apartment were also reduced to ashes. The firemen, police, and officials of the GHMC reached the spot immediately and took up the rescue operation.
The fire tenders fought the flames for more than two hours to put out the flames. In all 21 people trapped in the apartment were safely brought out by the rescue personnel. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Venkateshwar Rao, said that the fire broke out in an automobile garage in the ground floor of the building.
The apartment owner, Ramesh Jaishwal who owned a chemical supply company, had allegedly stored 130 drums of chemicals in the apartment cellar. The chemical was meant for use in the manufacturing of plastics. Some 30 of the chemical drums caught fire, resulting in an inferno. Jaiswal is reported to be absconding.