A day after a huge fire broke out in a six-storied commercial complex in Secunderabad, police said they were still unable to trace three missing persons believed to be trapped inside, as the building remained inaccessible to rescue workers with thick smoke continuing to emanate from it. After the fire broke out in the building on Minister Road on the morning of Thursday, January 19, fire department personnel rescued four people but a few persons are suspected to be still trapped inside. Ramgopalpet Inspector of Police G Lingeshwar Rao told TNM that the police are unsure whether two or three persons remained inside the building, as it remained inaccessible to rescue workers on Friday and appeared to be on the verge of collapse. 

“We have been told that three people went inside to bring out some bags. We haven’t found any traces, we are not sure if there are two or three people inside. The building seems like it may collapse at any time. We have been told it is not advisable for rescue personnel to enter. We are trying to see if there’s enough visibility from outside, or else drones can be deployed [to detect the people trapped inside],” the Inspector said. 

Thick smoke engulfed the building since Thursday morning, making the rescue operation difficult. Two fire department personnel reportedly took ill due to the smoke and were rushed to a hospital. The fire broke out in the six-storied building housing Deccan Knitwear sports accessories store and some other shops at Nallagutta in the Ramgopalpet area of Secunderabad. Authorities evacuated nearby houses as a precautionary measure. 

According to The Times of India, the first floor of the building was used to store objects made of rexine and other inflammable materials, which worsened the fire. Minister and Sanathnagar MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav visited the spot and said that stringent action would be taken against illegal warehouses in the midst of residential areas as they were posing a risk to people's lives.

With IANS inputs