Hyderabad: Just as they were about to go to bed after a day's hard work, there was a huge explosion, thick smoke spreading fast, amid pitch dark surroundings due to power cut. Everyone scrambled down staircases to safety, some jumped down windows, others climbed down drain pipes. This was the horrific scene after fire broke out at the Ruby Luxury Pride Lodge near Secunderabad Passport Office on Monday night. It claimed a toll of eight lives, as another person succumbed to injuries on Tuesday.
An electric scooter showroom is also being run in the cellar of the Ruby Hotel building. Explosion of overcharged scooter batteries is believed to be the cause of the fire, sources said. Once fire started in one vehicle, the batteries of other vehicles also exploded and their tyres were also burnt. Carbon monoxide and lithium toxic gases released from them spread thickly. Experts said 'mushroom effect' took a heavy toll as it caused collective spread of fire, smoke, chemicals, and toxic gases . This usually happens during fire accidents in cellars of multi-storied buildings and apartments that are not well ventilated.
Nine people are still receiving treatment in different hospitals, one of them critical. Prime Minister Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in this accident. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each and the Centre Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased. The injured will be paid Rs 50,000 each from the Prime Minister's National Disaster Fund. Union Minister Kishan Reddy and State Home Minister Mahmood Ali visited the incident site on Tuesday.
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Ruby Lodge is run in a five-storied building, the first floor housing the accounts and reception departments. Over 25 rooms in the remaining floors are rented out. A showroom of electric two-wheelers is located in the cellar, which was actually reserved for vehicle parking. About 25 people who came to the city from different places stayed in this lodge at the time of fire, which broke out in the cellar at 9.17 pm on Monday. Within a few seconds, the flames spread, and all the vehicles were burnt. Thick smoke spread due to burning of vehicles and tyres. In the blink of an eye, smoke enveloped the five-story rooms and suffocated the occupants.
The deceased were identified as Alladi Harish(33) from Vijayawada, Virendra Kumar Dewakar(50) from Delhi, Seetharaman(48) from Chennai, N.Balaji(58) from Chennai, Rajeev Malik(54) from Delhi, Sandeep Malik(52) from Delhi, Chandan Jethi (30), Mithali Mahapatra (29) from Odisha. The injured are K V Santosh(26) from Visakhapatnam, Jayant(39) from Bangalore, Devashish Gupta(26), B.Yogita(26) from Visakhapatnam, KK Keshavan(27) from Chennai, Deepak Yadav(38) from Haryana, Umesh Kumar Acharya (35) from Kolkata, Manmohan Khanna (48) from Hyderabad, Rajesh Jagadish Chhabra (49) from Gujarat. They were shifted to Yashoda, Apollo, and Gandhi Hospitals. Police said Jayant's health condition is critical.
Watch: Police releases CCTV footage of Secunderabad fire that killed 8 people
Rajendra Singh Bagga and Sumeet Singh are managing Ruby Hotel and electric scooter showroom. The scooters showroom is being run in the cellar without any permits. Officials found that no actual fire regulations were followed in that building, sources said. According to the complaint given by Manmohan Khanna, who survived the accident, a case under Section 304 Part 3, 324 IPC, and Section 9B Explosives Act 1884 was registered at Monda Market Police Station and an investigation started. The main accused, Rajendra Singh Bagga, who was on the run since Monday night, was detained and interrogated by the officials of the North Zone Task Force on Tuesday.
Harrowing scenes took place on the day of the fire. One person tried to escape by running down the stairs, but fell down suffocated due to the smoke, severe bleeding caused by a head injury. The firemen brought the man out with great difficulty. Four people in a room collapsed while sitting. All four were rescued and taken to Gandhi Hospital. A woman tried to get down holding a pipe and the locals helped her. Another youth was seriously injured after jumping down from the second floor. A young woman who jumped from the first floor was saved with blankets. From 10 pm on Monday till early morning on Tuesday, the fire brigade, police officers, and locals were engaged in controlling the fire and rescuing the victims.
