Hyderabad faced a heartbreaking tragedy at Gulzar Houz, where a deadly fire claimed many lives. Families of the victims strongly criticized the slow emergency response, saying the delay in fire trucks and ambulances, along with the lack of oxygen masks, led to avoidable deaths.
Relatives stood outside Osmania Hospital, visibly angry and devastated. They confronted City Incharge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, and Congress MP Anil Kumar Yadav when they arrived to offer condolences. The families blamed the government for failing to act quickly during the crisis.
One of the grieving relatives, Sunil Modi, shared his pain. “I lost 16 family members. If ambulances had proper oxygen masks, maybe some of them could have survived. What good is an ambulance with a photo of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy if it can’t save lives?” he asked, his voice filled with sorrow and anger.
Md Pasha, the family’s auto driver, also shared his account. He received a phone call from a relative early in the morning, asking him to come quickly. But by the time he arrived, the fire had already taken many lives. “The fire engines showed up more than an hour and a half after the first call,” he said.
At the city mortuary, several families waited in silence, overwhelmed by grief. Many didn’t want to speak to reporters. Some asked not to be filmed or recorded, requesting privacy as they mourned.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses who were nearby during the fire gave chilling accounts. People returning from morning prayers saw the building on fire and rushed to help. One resident, Zahid, said they tried to enter through the main gate, but flames blocked the way. “We broke the shutter and then smashed a wall to reach the first floor. But the fire had already spread everywhere,” he said.
Another local, Shaik Zaheer, a businessman, was among the first to enter the burning building. What he saw will haunt him forever. “Inside, I found a woman who had died hugging her children. She tried to protect them with her body,” he said.
People from the area acted quickly, risking their own lives to save others. But despite their brave efforts, the lack of a timely and well-equipped emergency response made the tragedy worse.
Residents are now demanding answers. They want better disaster management and properly equipped ambulances. Above all, they want accountability for the lives lost in this devastating fire.
