Andhra Pradesh

Fire in scrap-store; owner `absconding'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, APRIL 7. Tension gripped areas near the Mir Alam tank after a fire broke out in a scrap dealer's storehouse around noon on Thursday. Adding to the panic was the nauseating smell that spread in the area after chemicals stored the storehouse caught fire.

There were no casualties and the blaze was brought under control by locals and four fire engines that rushed to the spot. The owner and the workers at the storehouse reportedly fled the spot and were absconding.

The blaze could have turned into a major mishap had it swelled out of the store, since the surroundings were full of paper and other flammable material and slum behind had huts with thatched roofs, the police said.

Earlier, there were rumours of a poisonous gas spread in the area. Closing their nostrils to avoid the pungent smell, people gathered on high-vantage points to get a view of the inferno.

According to police, the owners of the storehouse were Mohd. Ghouse and Mohd. Afroze dealing with sale of empty drums, plastic articles and other scrap items. However, there is no clarity how highly inflammable chemicals were stored on the premises.

The Fire officers M. Srinivasa Rao and Mohan Reddy, supervised the fire fighting operations.

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