Hyderabad, Dec 23 (IANS) A huge fire broke out at a hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday evening.

The fire has engulfed a major part of the multi-story building of Ankura Hospital in the Gudimalkapur area. It was immediately not clear if there are any casualties.

Huge flames engulfed the upper floor of the building. Four fire tenders and the Disaster Response Force (DRF) have been rushed to the scene.

Fire services personnel and the police are presently evacuating the patients from the hospital.

The fire reportedly started from a flexi on top of the hospital building located near Pillar No. 70 on PVNR Expressway.

Gurugram, Sep 8 (IANS) Seven persons from the Korean embassy, who were staying in a flat were rescued safely, after a fire broke out at the flat of the Haryana Janpratinidhi (MLA) apartment in Gurugram's Sector- 28, fire officials said.

The fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the AC, according to fire officials. 

Two fire engines were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control after nearly an hour.

Officials added that items worth lakhs of rupees were gutted in the fire.

A platform vehicle was used to rescue seven people from the Korean embassy, including five women, from the flat.

It is being said that one of the women sustained a minor injury in her hand. 

The fire officials said that they faced difficulties in talking to the people from the Korean embassy as there was no translator present at the spot. The case is being investigated.

"All seven people were taken out safely in about 15 minutes. Our team faced difficulties in talking to these people due to the translator not being present at the spot," an official said. 

"Initial investigation revealed that the fire occurred due to a short circuit in the AC. The case is being investigated," Fire officer Nitish Bhardwaj said.

SURAT – A yarn warehouse in Unity Industrial Estate, located near Batliboy in the Bhestan area of Surat, was engulfed in flames following a short circuit on Wednesday morning. Prompt action by local industrialist Paresh Bhai and coordinated efforts from seven fire stations averted a potential disaster.

Paresh Bhai, who witnessed the fire, said, "I was on my way to work when I saw the smoke and people running. I considered it my duty to immediately inform the fire department and GEB (Gujarat Electricity Board)." Both departments responded quickly, and the fire was brought under control after approximately three hours of rigorous effort.

Fire Officer Omprakash Mishra stated that upon receiving the emergency call, multiple fire engines were dispatched to the scene. "The firemen worked tirelessly to douse the flames, and it was only after 3 hours that they could enter the warehouse for cooling procedures," said Mishra. The warehouse suffered extensive damage, with goods worth lakhs being destroyed. Mishra also noted that the warehouse's lack of proper ventilation made the operation more challenging. Thankfully, no casualties were reported.

A fire official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the absence of fire safety measures in the industrial area. "Industries have been removed from the direct purview of the fire department, as per government guidelines. Each industrial area is expected to have its own fire system. However, when a fire breaks out in a facility that is not compliant with these regulations, we still have to respond," the official said.

This raises questions about accountability in cases of industrial fires, especially when businesses are not adhering to safety norms. "If a major accident occurs due to these lapses, it would pose a serious question of responsibility," the anonymous official added.

The incident serves as a stern warning to industrialists about the importance of adhering to fire safety regulations and the dire consequences of ignoring them.

In a shocking incident, a massive fire engulfed the 10th floor of Devkripa Apartment in the Citylight area of Surat on Thursday night, trapping approximately 15 people who were attending a religious gathering. Tragically, the fire claimed the life of a 55-year-old woman and severely injured two young girls.

The blaze ignited due to a gas leak while prasadi, an offering for worship, was being prepared. The fire rapidly spiraled out of control, trapping those in attendance and causing a wave of panic.

Radhaben Baraiya, a 55-year-old domestic worker who was present at the time of the incident, succumbed to her burn injuries despite being rushed to the New Civil Hospital. Two girls, Arpit, 13, and Raya, 6, also suffered severe burns and are currently undergoing treatment at the same hospital.

Upon receiving the emergency call, the Surat Municipal Corporation Fire Brigade rushed to the scene. On arrival, they found that the fire had spread to the main gate, complicating the rescue operation. Swiftly, the firefighters utilized a lift to access an adjacent apartment, enabling the rescue of a total of 15 individuals.

Sanjeev Tibriwala, a resident of Devkripa Apartment, had organized the religious event at his home. The fire broke out while prasadi was being prepared for the gathering, escalating swiftly due to the gas leak. Despite the swift action of the fire brigade, the life of one attendee could not be saved, marking a tragic end to what was intended to be a peaceful gathering of worship.

The incident led to a wave of fear among residents in the surrounding area, but the fire department was successful in rescuing all those trapped, preventing further casualties.

Greater Noida, July 13 (IANS) A massive fire broke out at Galaxy Plaza in Greater Noida on Thursday, an official said.

People were seen jumping from the third and fifth floor of the building. The incident occurred at Galaxy Plaza under Bisrakh Police Station area of Greater Noida.

The cause of the fire is not known but a short-circuit is suspected to have caused the fire, the police said.

Fire tenders and a police team of Bisrakh Kotwali have reached the spot.

The exact number of those injured or casualties is yet to be confirmed.

Hyderabad, July 7 (IANS) A major tragedy was averted when fire broke out in Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express in Telangana's Yadadri Bhongir district on Friday.

No casualties were reported.

The train was stopped between Pagidipalli and Bommayapalli by the loco pilot after he was alerted when smoke was noticed in one of the coaches.

There was panic among passengers but all of them deboarded the train before fire spread to adjoining coaches.

Four of the coaches were completely gutted while two others were partially damaged.

The railway staff delinked the affected coaches to prevent the fire from spreading to other coaches.

Railway officials said all passengers were safe. Fire engines rushed to the spot from various places in the district to douse the fire.

Railway employees disconnected the overhead power supply.

One of the passengers said the fire started from S4 coach.

"There was panic and we all ran out for safety," said a passenger who was travelling in S5. Senior officials of South Central Railway (SCR) rushed to the spot and were making alternate arrangements for the travel of passengers.

A special train left from Secunderabad to bring the stranded passengers. SCR General Manager Arun Kumar Jain also left for the spot.

Chennai, June 24 (IANS) A fire due to a short circuit engulfed around 50 shops in the Banyan street of Tiruppur, the textile capital of South India.

The fire has been doused by early Saturday morning after many shops have been gutted leading to huge losses. However, there was no deaths or injuries in the fire as nearly all shops were shut down for the day.

Many international brands of repute are made at Tiruppur. The annual turnover of the Tiruppur textile industry is around Rs 50,000 crore.

Sources in the industry told IANS that the fire has gutted around 50 shops and losses are estimated to be more than thousands of crore.

A business man in Tiruppur told IANS, "The industry is already reeling under several issues, including lack of orders in Europe due to the Ukraine-Russia war, shortage of raw materials and other issues. This loss will compound the losses of the already struggling industry."

He also said that the exact losses will be assessed soon.

Kolkata, June 15 (IANS) A central investigation team of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is coming to Kolkata on Thursday to investigate the reasons behind the sudden fire at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.

The fire broke out on Wednesday evening and was quickly brought under control.

A forensic team is expected to arrive at the scene of the fire to investigate the actual reasons behind the fire. Airport sources said the area where the fire broke out had been totally cordoned off and the necessary repair work has also started.

Airport sources further said that the regular security counter where the fire broke out has been kept closed on Thursday morning as well and an alternative counter was being used for the time being. Airport sources said that all alternative arrangements are made so that the passengers do not face any inconvenience.

On Thursday at around 9.20 p.m. the fire broke out at the security checking counter near Gate 3A at the domestic terminal of the airport. Two fire tenders immediately rushed to the sport and the fire was soon brought under control. The airport officials suspect a short circuit as the reason for the fire.

Bengaluru, April 6 (IANS) Special worship at the Dharmaraya swamy temple by fans of IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went awry on Thursday after a huge quantity of camphor lit by them led to several bikes on the premises catching fire.

The authorities rushed to the spot and reined in the situation averting a major tragedy.

According to police, the special worship was offered to Droupadi Devi during the Karaga festival.

The RCB fans lit hundreds of kilograms of camphor. The pile of camphor was placed from N.R. Junction to the temple. Though the announcement was made on the loudspeaker to vacate the two-wheelers parked close to the pile of camphor, they were not taken away.

When the camphor was lit, the bikes caught fire creating a tense situation at the spot. More details including damage to vehicles are yet to emerge in the case.

Historical Karaga festival is celebrated with much fanfare in Bengaluru. The festivities also began at Dharmarayaswamy temple in Tigalarapet on Wednesday night at 10 pm. The Karaga festival would be observed for 11 days.

Kanpur, March 31 (IANS) At least 500 shops were gutted in a massive fire that broke out during the wee hours on Friday in the Basmandi area in Kanpur.

Firefighters were able to rescue all the people trapped in the building in AR Tower.

As many as two dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire and the operation lasted more than six hours.

More than two dozen fire tenders are on the spot, trying to douse the inferno.

The flames spread to the adjacent market and buildings due to strong winds. Affected areas include Masood Tower 1, Masood Tower 2 and Hamraaz Complex.

"The fire is under control now. No one is trapped in the building," said Ajay Kumar, Deputy Director, Uttar Pradesh Fire Service.

Amaravati, March 30 (IANS) A fire broke out during Ram Navami celebrations at a temple in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Thursday.

The incident occurred at Venugopala Swamy temple at Duvva.

A canopy erected in the temple premises for the celebrations was gutted in the fire.

The incident sent panic among devotees when they were participating in Kalyana utsavam. They ran out to save themselves.

Big flames were seen leaping out of the temple premises. Fire fighting personnel doused the fire with the help of locals.

The fire broke out after some devotees burst firecrackers and one of the burning crackers fell on the canopy.

With the incident not resulting in any casualty, organisers and devotees heaved a sigh of relief.

Police registered a case and took up investigation.

Mumbai, March 27 (IANS) At least two youths were killed in their sleep when a massive fire raged through an electrical and hardware shop at the dead of the night in Andheri, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Monday.

The blaze was reported around 2.15 a.m. from Rajshree Electric & Hardware stores near the Saki Naka Metro station, and five fire engines and water tankers were rushed to the spot, with police supervising the operations.

The flames remained confined within the 200-sq ft congested shop's electrical fittings and wiring, but the shop also had two lofts with more goods stored there.

Locals claimed that there could be at least two to three persons, reportedly workers, still trapped inside, but the Fire Brigade have recovered two bodies.

They are identified as Rakesh Gupta, 22, and Ganesh Devashi, 23, said the BMC Disaster Control.

The officials said that due to the intensity of the blaze the two lofts were fully gutted and crashed down to the lower level, blocking the entry for the rescue teams.

Accordingly, the Fire Brigade deployed a bulldozer to break down the front portions of the shop and gained access to douse the flames and also retrieved the bodies of the two youths who perished in the tragedy.

The cause of the fire -- which was finally extinguished after nearly nine hours, is not clear and it's also unknown whether the double-lofts built inside the shop, which hampered the fire-fighting efforts, were authorised or not.