Seventy-five stalls and four trucks were gutted in a major fire that broke out in the Infant Handlooms and Handicrafts exhibition at Kukatpally along the National Highway 9 on Wednesday morning. Since the exhibition was not open in the morning, there were no crowds and thus no casualty was reported.
The fire is suspected to have originated from the back of the exhibition ground and spread to the stalls propelled by the wind. In minutes, the shops were engulfed in flames. Four trucks that were parked behind the exhibition ground were also gutted in the blaze. Eight fire tenders worked for more than four hours to douse the fire. “The exact cause of the fire is not known. Generally, on the road behind the ground, sweepers set the garbage on fire and we suspect the fire might have spread from that. Truck drivers who park their vehicles here also cook on the road. We have to probe that angle too,” said Kukatpally police inspector K. Srinivasa Rao.
The fire erupted at about 7.45 am. Security personnel near the metro wholesale market alerted the fire control room. Ranga Reddy district fire officer P. Venkat Swamy said he got the call at 8 am. The blaze was brought under control by 1 pm. The contractor of the exhibition, P.L. Robson, demanded a detailed in-quiry into the incident. He said that he got the exhibition ground on lease for a huge amount. There were issues with other bidders and so he wanted a probe into all aspects. The loss has been mainly to the stall owners who claim that `5 crore worth of material went up in smoke. Mr Syed Sadique from Falakunuma said he lost `5 lakh in the mishap.
“After closing the exhibition on Tuesday night, I went home. In the morning, I saw the TV flash news about the accident and rushed to the spot. There remained only a heap of ash,” says Mr Sadique, whose stall sold watches and bed sheets. The Chief Minister has directed the director general of fire services and commissioner, GHMC, to order an inquiry and submit a detailed report.