Fire service personnel rescued four of a family, including
two women, after they were trapped in the penthouse of a building
engulfed in flames at Begumpet here in the early hours of Friday. Fire
started in the three-floor building -accommodating three private
offices one on each floor- around 4.30 a.m.
The building security guard told police that he alerted the fire
service personnel soon after noticing fire in the first floor. Even as
he tried to douse the fire, the blazes spread to the second and third
floor.
Fortunately, none was inside the three offices of marketing, software
and construction companies on the first, second and third floors,
respectively. But the building owner's family living in the penthouse
atop the third floor caught in thick clouds of smokes and blazes.
One of them managed to escape by running down the stair case but the
other four started shouting for help by going up the terrace of the
penthouse. Fire tenders from Secunderabad, Moula Ali and Sanathnagar
were rushed to the building.
Over 25 firemen, led by Regional Fire Service Officer G.V. Narayana
Rao struggled for nearly two hours to put out the flames. They pressed
into service a fire-tender mounted with ladder which was sent up
penthouse.
Four of the building owner's family were brought into the cage
connected to the ladder and rescued. Mr. Rao said fire started on the
first floor. What ignited the fire was yet to be ascertained but short
circuit could be one of the reasons, he said.
