‘Only one exit, no safety measures’: 11 Bihar workers killed in Secunderabad godown fire

Secunderabad fire station officer D Mohan Rao said the department received a call about the fire at the godown in the Bhoiguda area around 3.45 am and, on arrival, found the godown’s shutter closed. Twelve of the migrants used to stay in rooms on the first floor of the warehouse operated by Shravan Traders, officials said.

Secunderabad fire: 4-5 workers managed to escape. One rescued person is in critical condition at the Gandhi Hospital https://t.co/GWkcMwwyz3 pic.twitter.com/pHxwjbeXox

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 23, 2022

The fire department broke open the shutter and found the blaze had engulfed the entire place. According to the firemen, it was the only way to get in or out of the warehouse. Its ground floor was stacked with massive bundles of plastic cables and electric wires, newspapers, and other plastic and metal scrap. Officials said they suspect a short-circuit caused the blaze, which was so intense that a mini truck used to transport the scrap was burnt to ashes.

The fire department finally managed to bring the blaze under control after three hours and found the bodies on the godown’s first floor. While one of the 12 workers managed to escape, Rao said the rest probably asphyxiated in the thick smoke. Another fire department official told reporters that four to five bodies were found on top of each other near a spiral staircase that led to the ground floor. The official speculated that the workers, out of desperation, might have tried to make their way to the ground floor exit or reach for the ceiling.

A fire broke out in a scrap godown at Bhoiguda area, in Secunderabad, Wednesday (PTI)

Firefighters and police personnel outside the charred remains of the scrap godown (PTI)

As the plastic scrap and other hazardous material in the godown kept catching fire, the police closed off the area and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation razed the entire godown to the ground using three bulldozers.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand visited the site later in the day. He told the media that there were no fire-safety measures at the godown. “For such an establishment, with so much combustible material, there was no fire safety. There was only one exit — the shutter. No one except the owners even knew that the workers were living on the first floor,” he added.

Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao has expressed shock over the fire accident at a Scrap Godown in Bhoiguda, Secunderabad. Hon’ble CM mourned the death of Bihar migrant workers in the mishap and announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) March 23, 2022

Mourning with the migrant workers’ families, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar announced ex gratia payments for them. While the prime minister and Nitish Kumar announced that each of the families would receive Rs 2 lakh, the Telangana chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Rao also directed Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to arrange the transportation of the bodies to Bihar.

Pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire in Bhoiguda, Hyderabad. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) March 23, 2022

In a statement, Nitish Kumar said, “It is a matter of grief. Our government will give Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each victim and also bear the cost of transporting the bodies from Hyderabad to the victims’ villages.”

Telangana minister T Srinivas Yadav said the victims’ families would arrive in Hyderabad in a day or two. “After the bodies are identified, we will make arrangements to send them in ambulances to their native places. These workers come from faraway villages in Bihar in search of work. It is very unfortunate and sad they died this way. If the owners of the godown are found to have violated any rules, action will be taken,” he added.

With inputs from ENS Patna