HYDERABAD: A century-old three-storey Hyderabad building close to the iconic Charminar caught fire early Sunday, killing 17 members across three generations of a jeweller’s family that had assembled in their ancestral home for what was to be a weekend get-together.Patriarch Prahlad Modi, whose roots in Gulzar Houz go back to the Nizam era, and eight children were among the victims, ranging from 2 to 73 years old. They died either from burn injuries or asphyxiation, officials said.Four family members, two of whom were not at home, and some of their workers survived the 6am blaze, suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Fire engines needed more than two hours to douse the flames, by which time much of the residential-cum-commercial building had been gutted.

Short circuit turned get-together into tragedy

Fire brigade officials identified the main electrical panel on the ground floor that houses three jewellery stores of the family as the source of the fire. One of the stores had been in business since 1906.“Sparks caused by the short circuit in the main electrical line spread through the wooden panel and triggered a blast in the compressor unit of one of the ACs, resulting in the blaze growing,” director general of fire services Y Nagi Reddy said. “Since the building has only one entrance and exit, and the staircase is very narrow, residents couldn’t escape. The smoke further made it difficult for them to navigate their way out.”Nagi Reddy said 11 fire engines, a firefighting robot, 17 officers and 70 personnel were deployed to rescue survivors and douse the flames. He contested allegations by relatives of the dead about a delayed response. “We received a call at 6.16am and immediately rushed our teams to the fire scene,” the DG said.None of 17 Hyd fire victims taken to hospitals could be revivedCharminar police station registered a fire accident case based on a complaint by a relative of Prahlad Modi.None of the 17 victims who had been taken to different hospitals – Osmania General Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Yashoda Hospital – could be revived. They were all cremated in the evening.Residents of the Gulzar Houz neighbourhood recalled hearing ominous noises from the building where Prahlad Modi lived with his wife Munni and others soon after the fire broke out. “By the time we reached the site, the entire building was engulfed in flames. There was little hope of anyone surviving,” said Mir Zahid, a neighbour.PM Narendra Modi announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased from the PM’s National Relief Fund. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” he wrote on X.Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy, too, announced Rs 5 lakh in ex gratia to the victims’ immediate families.Prahlad Modi and his family migrated to Hyderabad from Rajasthan decades ago and have been based in Gulzar Houz since. The extended clan, now spread across the city, would often meet at the patriarch’s home, sources said.