Hyderabad Cotton Godown Fire Extinguished After 30-Hour Battle
A massive blaze at a cotton storage facility near Shadnagar in Hyderabad was finally brought under control on Sunday evening, following a grueling firefighting operation that lasted nearly 30 hours. The fire erupted at the Sri Krishna Industries warehouse in Nandigama, Rangareddy district, on Saturday morning around 8 am.
Officials confirmed that there were no injuries or casualties reported from the incident. This outcome is particularly remarkable given the scale and intensity of the fire that engulfed the industrial property.
Intense Firefighting Operation
A total of six fire tenders and approximately 40 firefighters were deployed to combat the flames over two days. The operation proved exceptionally challenging due to dense smoke and the highly combustible nature of the cotton stocks stored inside the warehouse.
On Sunday morning, firefighters had to break into the structure to continue their operations effectively. "The fire almost raged for 30 hours as huge quantity of cotton was there. We had to dismantle the structure; otherwise, we were not able to douse the fire completely," explained district fire officer Murali Manohar Reddy.
Strategic Fire Containment
Fire personnel employed innovative strategies to control the blaze, including pumping water from a nearby canal and systematically pulling out cotton bundles to prevent the fire from spreading further. The godown, spanning nearly 2,900 square metres, reportedly housed around 20,800 cotton bales belonging to the Cotton Corporation of India.
The extensive scale of the storage facility contributed significantly to the prolonged firefighting efforts required to bring the situation under control.
Investigation and Assessment
Officials stated that the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, while the full extent of property loss has yet to be determined. "The CCI will tell us soon and based on that we can tell," Reddy added regarding the damage assessment.
Preliminary investigations conducted on Saturday suggested that a lightning strike on Friday night may have triggered the initial fire, though this theory requires further verification through ongoing investigative procedures.
The successful containment of this major industrial fire without any human casualties represents a significant achievement for Hyderabad's emergency response teams, who demonstrated exceptional coordination and perseverance throughout the extended operation.
