Hyderabad: One person died in a massive fire that broke out at Sohail Hotel on Friday evening in Malakpet. Two fire tenders from Malakpet and Gowliguda fire stations were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. According to the district fire officer Srinivas Reddy, the hotel has an ‘L’ shaped kitchen due to which the flame may have taken place.
The deceased, identified as Shahabuddin, 33, was found lying on the floor between two huge cauldrons. He is believed to have died of suffocation. The fire department officials were not alerted that someone was missing or may have been stuck inside, the official informed.
The man’s body was only found after the entire firefighting operation was done, and after officials finished their search.
The flames gutted the entire ground floor. Since the restaurant is located on the main road at Malakpet-Nalgonda X road stretch, traffic was badly affected for a few hours. A huge crowd had gathered outside after the incident.
The hotel is a popular place for locals, who throng there for dishes like Biryani, Marag and other specialities.
The traffic police were also pressed into service to regulate the traffic. Customers at the hotel panicked due to the sudden fire accident and rushed out hastily.
The fire at the restaurant located adjacent to the Mamidipudi Nagarjuna Area Hospital Malakpet/Police Hospital caused panic among patients admitted. Patients at the hospital were safely evacuated out of the hospital to avoid casualties due to the thick smoke.
A team of Chaderghat police along with the fire department officials were pressed into service. The cause of the fire is yet to be known and further investigation is underway.
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