Hyderabad Fire Tragedy: Five Killed, Several Feared Trapped As Blaze Engulfs Furniture Shop In Nampally

At least five people, including a woman, died after a huge fire ripped through a four-storey furniture shop in Hyderabad’s Nampally area, officials said on Sunday, January 25. 

The fire started on Saturday, trapping five people in the basement. Rescue teams rushed in, but it was too late.

Illegal Basement Storage Hampers Rescue, Five Die

A senior police officer said, “We pulled out five bodies from the building on Sunday. One of them was a woman.”

Rescue efforts turned into a massive operation. Teams from the police, fire department, NDRF, and Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency all joined in. Even though they managed to control the flames, thick smoke kept pouring out, making it tough for anyone to get inside.

The problem was the furniture, tons of it stacked up in both basements. That’s what kept the smoke so heavy. To make things worse, the ramp to the basement was blocked with even more stuff, so rescue workers could barely get through.

Those basements were supposed to be for parking only. No one should have been living or storing goods down there, said Director General Vikram Singh Mann.

Bodies Recovered After Overnight Rescue Operation

Outside, families waited for news, desperate and anxious. One family member told a TV channel, “We haven’t seen our children since yesterday. No one is telling us anything. We just want them out.”

The fire didn’t just cause loss of life; it threw the whole area into chaos. Traffic around Nampally ground to a halt. Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar posted on X, urging people to avoid the annual exhibition at the Exhibition Grounds because of the mess.

He wrote, “Police and disaster teams are working on rescue operations after the fire at the furniture shop. Traffic is a nightmare. Please postpone your visit to the exhibition today, it’s just not safe.”

State Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said he was deeply concerned. He ordered officials to do everything they could to save those still trapped and asked Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar to visit the site and report back.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he’s keeping in touch with officials on the ground and told his party MLC Rahmath Baig to help with the rescue work. 

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