Fresh smoke rekindles fears at fire-hit Ameerpet complex

done: arun

TNN

Hyderabad: Two days after a massive blaze gutted the KSR Shopping Complex at Maitrivanam in Ameerpet, fresh smoke was seen billowing from the charred structure on Saturday afternoon, briefly sparking panic in one of Hyderabad’s busiest commercial hubs.

Alerted by locals, officials rushed a fire tender to the site and doused the smouldering pockets inside the building. “As the fire was intense two days ago, the building was still cooling. We also suspect some combustible material left inside the complex may have reignited due to the residual heat from Thursday’s blaze. We will be cooling off the structure in the coming days. No injuries or further damage were reported in Saturday’s incident,” said an officer from Sanathnagar fire station.

On Thursday, the shopping complex was gutted in the major fire, suspected to have been triggered by a short-circuit. Property worth several crores was destroyed, affecting nearly 20 commercial establishments. Among those hit were private travel agencies, a toy shop, furniture and paint showrooms, and many small photocopying and scanning centres.

The complex, located next to the busy Ameerpet metro station, is part of one of Hyderabad’s largest commercial clusters, known for electronics, garments and coaching institutes. The blaze had sent shockwaves through the area, disrupting business and raising concerns about fire safety in densely packed commercial zones.