Fire fallout: Rescuers injured, traffic shut and property damaged

Hyderabad: The fallout from the fire at Balaji Residency on Monday morning was far-reaching, causing not only loss of lives, but also loss of properties, injuries to locals and disrupting traffic in the area.

Officials said that six bikes and a car that were parked right before the apartment building were completely gutted in the fire.

Also, over 40 rescuers were exposed to chemicals and suffered blisters, boils and itching.

“Many suffered from foot burns, boils, blisters and complained of burning sensation in their feet. We hardly had time to think about wearing shoes; slippers we were wearing got stuck in the sticky chemicals, causing many to skid and fall,” said Nazeer Ahmed, one of the rescuers.

Electricity was also affected. “I was on my way to have a cup of tea, when I saw thick, dark smoke from an apartment. I received a call from my officer to rush there. At 9.40 am, I tripped off the substation feeder of Red Hills. By then, fire and other rescue teams had reached,” D. Srinivas, Red Hills substation operator, said.

Following the incident, the police shut all shops in Red Hills and Bazarghat. Roads at Bazarghat Crossroads, Niloufer Hospital and bylanes were completely barricaded.

MIM’s Nampally candidate Majid Hussain cancelled his campaign and rushed to the spot along with his supporters to help with the rescue operations.