Hyderabad, May 12: A major catastrophe was averted in the State capital on Tuesday when firemen managed to douse the flames that engulfed a petrol bunk in Alwal on Tuesday, even as the State capital reeled under scorching heat with the temperature rising to 45 degrees Celsius.
Authorities evacuated residents from apartments in the vicinity, ordered closure of shops and cordoned off the area bringing the traffic on the busy Rajiv Rahadari to a standstill.
Fire tenders from different stations, including the Army and CISF, raced to Alwal to help firemen control the blaze that miraculously did not lead to explosion of the oil storage tank which then contained some 10,000 litres of petrol.
It was a providential escape for the customers and employees of the bunk. Praveen (22), a bunk assistant, suffered burns on his hands, while the customers managed to run away.
The flames erupted around 6 p.m when a tanker was emptying petrol into the underground storage unit. The blaze soon engulfed the tanker and four two-wheelers left by the customers. Within seconds, two vending units of the bunk too caught fire. Though police did not hazard a guess on what started the blaze, they suspect it could be a cigarette stub or the scorching heat.
Relief was palpable among the residents and the curious onlookers who feared a huge explosion, as authorities declared that the fire was brought under control.
In another incident, fire swept through the godown of Mumtaz Suppliers spread over 3,000 square yards at First Lancer where carpets, tents, chairs and plastic drums were kept. All the stored items were gutted, while the fire personnel battled with the flames. A godown worker noticed the flames around 2.30 p.m. and alerted his bosses. Fire tenders could not reach the spot as the godown was located in a narrow lane.
The firemen had to demolish the compound wall using poclain to move closer to the spot. It took nearly five hours to put out the fire.
-Agencies