A few high-end cars were damaged in a fire at a car workshop in Hyderabad’s Attapur area on the evening of Friday, April 22. The fire occurred at a car workshop called Berlin Motorworks in Janapriya Colony, where a few cars and parts used in upscale cars — including BMW, Benz, Renault Duster, Toyota Innova Crysta, and Nissan — were damaged, according to reports. The fire spread rapidly when there was no one present in the workshop and was prevented from spreading further by local residents and the fire department, according to the police.
A police official from Rajendranagar police station told the media that on Friday evening, when the workers had left early as it is the month of Ramzan, a small fire was sparked and spread among the cars in the workshop, damaging several cars. “Workers from a nearby car shed responded immediately and moved a few inflammable plastic objects etc. away to curb the fire from spreading further. Five to six cars were destroyed, including one Benz, one BMW, Innova Crysta and a few other small cars,” she said. No one was hurt in the incident, police said. Another official said that the damaged cars also included a Nissan and a Renault Duster.
Police said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the fire. Speaking to the media, the owner of the workshop, Mohammad Ilyas Ahmed, said that he wasn’t present at the time of the fire since they usually leave around 5 pm during the month of Ramzan. “Local residents here broke the lock and informed us about the fire. By the time we got here, many cars were already damaged. The police and three fire engines were already here,” he said. He added that with a few cars as well as gearboxes used in high-end cars being damaged, the losses were estimated to be around Rs 1.25 crore. He alleged that another workshop behind theirs often burned garbage nearby, which could have triggered the fire.