Good Samaritan's SOS averts inferno

HYDERABAD: A short-circuit at an electric pole, just a few feet from a plush residential complex at Road No.3 Banjara Hills early on Thursday, could have turned into an inferno and swallowed apartments with its licking flames, had it not been for an SOS from a Good Samaritan.
While there were no casualties, it was just an ember away from setting off an explosion at the transformer beside the electric mast and trigger off a string of blasts in high-tension wires above.While the emergency call was made to the department at around 1.15 am, officials pondered over the veracity of the call for half-an-hour.
A police patrol vehicle arrived after 20 minutes to examine the fire before cops dialled the fire station.“Red-tape further delayed fire-fighting and it's a miracle that the fire didn't spread,“ said an eye-witness.
Speaking to TOI, district fire officer, V Papa Rao, said: “The call came around 1.20 am, we immediately dispatched our bikeborne fire tender to tackle the blaze as they were equipped with foam extinguis hers used when fire is of electrical origin.“ He asserted the fire tender reached the spot within stipulated 10 minutes.
However, the department's inability to react to emergencies stems from the fact that the city has only 15 fire stations. These are located at Gowliguda, Secunderabad, Moula Ali, Tarnaka, Snorkel Station (Secunderabad), Film Nagar, Sanathnagar, Chandulal Baradari, Langar Houz, Moghalpura, Malakpet, Musheerabad, Salarjung Museum, the High Court, Secretariat and Assembly buildings. However, this works out to only one station for every 4.75 lakh people in the city. Senior officials said the city, spread over 650 square kilometres, urgently needs at least 24 to 26 more fire stations.