The budget session of the Telangana legislative assembly was marred by the news of yet another fire incident, this time at the soon-to-be-inaugurated Telangana secretariat. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it sent out a ripple in political circles with Congress leaders being arrested as they tried reaching the secretariat to find out more about the incident.
Hyderabad has witnessed a spate of fire mishaps in the last six months in which at least 10 people have been killed. On January 19, a massive fire broke out in a building on Minister Road in which three persons were killed. On January 6, one person was killed in a fire at Hotel Sohail in Malakpet. Last year in September, eight persons died in a fire at a bike showroom in Secunderabad.
On February 2, a fire broke out at a tent in Chikkadpally and over 10 fire tenders were rushed to bring the blaze under control. On January 22, a massive fire broke out at the Numaish exhibition parking lot.
After receiving criticism from the opposition over the repeated mishaps, MAUD minister K Taraka Rama Rao held a high-level meeting in which he directed the municipal, police and fire officials to conduct a fire safety audit of high-rise and big buildings in Hyderabad.
Rao said a safety audit should also be done for all hospitals, educational institutions, petrol bunks, gas godowns, commercial establishments, high-rise apartments among others. The state government was ready to provide the latest vehicles and machinery to the fire department as it had done for the police department, he added.
Fire incidents continue to rage in the city, revealing a flagrant flouting of fire safety norms. Sathvika Gupta, a fire and safety officer, told News18 that there were robust safety norms already formulated by the government.
“It has been seen in many cases that even if companies have fire extinguishers, they are not maintained properly and, hence, might not work as desired in case of a fire. Staff are also not trained on how to use them. According to the Health and Safety Act, 1947, any registered company with more than five employees might have their own safety rules. There must be a safety book available with the HSA officer or the HR, which can be used to raise awareness about these issues. However, it is sad that the level of awareness is still low,” Gupta said.
“People often tell me that fires break out when people are not there and, hence, the safety norms cannot be followed. In such cases, smoke alarms, fire alarms and water sprinklers can ensure that the fire is nipped in the bud,” she said.
The causes of a fire in most of these incidents remain elusive, but there are ways to identify vulnerable buildings and take measures accordingly.
“The causes are mostly electrical – short circuit, live wire, or generator rooms. Sometimes, a lit cigarette butt can cause an inferno. In most cases, the presence of three factors determine whether a fire mishap can occur – fuel, heat and oxygen. In case of the fire at Deccan Knitwear Sports shop in Secunderabad, the building was full of highly flammable material like rexine and other fabric. This acted like a fuel for the fire to spread. In case of any large fires, there is an abundance of flammable material. Oxygen or other flammable gasses help the fire to wreak more havoc. Fires are more probable in an area where the temperature is high,” she added.
Gupta further said the use of air conditioners or exhaust fans in such godowns could prevent fires. It is also necessary that the godowns are not overloaded and goods are arranged in a systematic manner, she added.
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