A massive fire broke out in a mall in the busy Ameerpet commercial area on Thursday afternoon, reducing several shops in the three-storey building to ashes, police said, adding that there were no casualties in the incident.
The fire broke out at the KSR Fashions clothing showroom, located in the mall located on Srinivasa Nagar West near Hyderabad Metro station in Ameerpet, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said in a post on X. “Emergency response and rescue operations have been initiated at the site,” Sajjanar said.
According to a senior official from the Hyderabad Fire Department, the fire incident occurred around 1 pm, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky and causing panic among shopkeepers and commuters.
Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving alerts about the fire and carried out a large-scale operation to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby commercial establishments. The fire official said: “Within minutes of receiving the information, seven fire engines rushed to the scene and participated in controlling the fire.”
He added that the fire was brought under control after intense firefighting operations that lasted for more than an hour. The accident also caused a huge traffic jam on the busy main road.
The official said, “The timely evacuation of the building and the rapid response by emergency services helped avoid a major tragedy. There are casualties, but there are no casualties.”
While the authorities were unable to immediately reveal the causes of the fire accident, the official said that preliminary investigations revealed that the fire may have originated in a commercial section of the complex before it spread quickly due to the presence of combustible materials.
Sajjanar said that vehicular movement on the road from Ameerpet to SR Nagar was disrupted, leading to severe traffic congestion in the area. He added, “The authorities are closely monitoring the situation and organizing traffic to reduce inconvenience to the public.”
