Fire at electric scooter showroom in Secunderabad kills eight

A fire that broke out late on the night of September 12 in an electric scooter showroom in Secundrabad killed eight people and left seven injured. According to reports it is being guessed that the fire in the electric scooter showroom housed in the basement of a hotel may have started at the charging unit. The Hyderabad Police informed that people from the spot had been evacuated and the fire has been brought under control.

When the fire broke out in the basement, people on the hotel's upper floors got trapped in the smoke. Officials and firefighters used cranes and other equipment to rescue those stranded on the upper floors of the hotel when the smoke from the fire billowed out of the windows of the four-storey building.

Hyderabad Commissioner CV Anand informed that those who were staying on the first and second floors were overpowered by smoke and the maximum casualties happened on those floors. Anand was quoted saying, “The fire broke out in the electric scooter charging unit on the ground floor. Smoke overpowered the people staying on the first and second floors. The remaining people jumped from the building and were rescued by locals. They were rushed to the hospital." Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Zone, Hyderabad, Chandana Deepti stated that officials are trying to find out the source of the fire. “There were electric scooters parked where the fire started. We don't know if it started because of over-charging and then spread or whether it started elsewhere. That is still being established," added Deepti.

The Deputy Commissioner informed a detailed investigation has been launched. Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali also added that a detailed probe has been initiated to ascertain the cause of the incident. “Very unfortunate incident. Fire brigade teams tried their best to rescue people from the lodge but due to heavy smoke, some people died. Some people were rescued from the lodge. We are probing how the incident happened," added the minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and also extended his condolences. Modi took to Twitter and posted, “Saddened by the loss of lives due to a fire in Secunderabad, Telangana. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon." The Prime Minister informed that ₹2 lakh Prime Minister's National Relief Fund will be paid to the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 each to the injured.

(With input from agencies)