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Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Fire department ropes in gaming firm to recreate Gulzar Houz blaze using VFX
Hyderabad: In a first, the Telangana fire dept has roped in a gaming company to recreate an accident scene using visual effects (VFX). Dilsukhnagar-based Cine Games has been selected to develop an animated video of the May 18 inferno that killed 17 members of jeweller Prahlad Modi's family living in a three-storey property in Gulzar Houz. "The video will analyse the topography of the area and recreate the sequence of events that unfolded on that day. It will help the fire dept assess the incident in detail," said a senior executive of Cine Games, after an inspection of the gutted structure on Wednesday. "We have taken the dimensions of the property. Now, we'll put this together with the details shared by the authorities and create both photos and videos — in 2D and 3D - using VFX," he added. Post inspection, he reiterated that the narrow entrance, staircase and lack of setback (minimum distance that a building must be placed from a street, boundary) collectively led to the accident turning fatal. "The width of the main entrance is 1.7 metres, while the breadth of each staircase is 0.95 metres. This made it difficult for residents to escape," he said, adding, "The video will show how the fire started on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Entrevista exclusiva: a verdade sobre o magnésio que ninguém te contou AlwaysFit Undo It will give insights into how much time people took to reach the upper floors and terrace in order to escape, and also show in detail the rescue operations that followed," the executive said. The short video of two to three minutes will take about five days to be ready. Apart from probing the Gulzar Houz accident, the video will also be used as a module to train fire personnel and prepare them for future calamities. It will be put up on the fire dept's website as an advisory for the public. "We have never recreated fire accident scenes in the past. But now, since we are upgrading and using modern technology even in firefighting — like robots etc — we thought it would be a good idea to use tech for this as well. The video will be a good learning module for our staff too," said a senior official from the fire dept.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gulzar Houz blaze sparks alarm over outdated electrical systems
Hyderabad: The tragic fire at a building in Gulzar Houz on Sunday that killed 17 members of a family, has led to fire safety experts warning that Hyderabad is sitting on an "electrical time bomb. " Decades-old wiring systems are unable to support the demands of modern households and businesses that use a number of appliances, often causing an overload –– something that also resulted in fire tragedy at the Prahlad Modi household. Authorities indicated that the fire was likely triggered by a short circuit that caused the air compressor to explode. They added that the system lacked essential safety components like miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), which are designed to protect a circuit from excess current. "In many older structures, electrical systems have not been upgraded in 40, 50 years, even as residents continue to add heavy-load appliances. Forty years ago, electrical systems were designed to run a fan, a couple of bulbs, and maybe a radio, not a fridge, six ACs, geysers and a washing machine. People don't realise how dangerous it is to keep adding appliances without upgrading the wiring," said Dean Kumar, Professor from JNTU, specialised in structural engineering. According to M Sridhar, distribution engineer at Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL), Charminar zone, most fires caused by short circuits stem from overheating wires, degraded insulation, or poorly connected joints. "Most residents also remain unaware that their home's electrical system has a capacity limit. The circuit breakers and MCBs help to an extent, but can't always protect against hidden wiring faults," he said. The Telangana Chief Electrical Inspector to Govt (TGCEIG), the body responsible for overseeing inspection and certification of electrical systems, shared that electrical audits are mandatory every five to ten years for buildings over 20 years old. "However, it is not possible for the department to check each home personally. Residents must come forward with issues. But the awareness is missing," said Sudha Reddy, electrical inspector at TGCEIG. "Every homeowner or tenant should get a licensed electrician to inspect wiring every five years and avoid daisy-chaining multiple high-power devices on a single plug point," said Reddy, from chief electrical inspector to the state govt. She added, "Replace visible old or brittle wiring immediately and use surge protectors and quality MCBs to manage current flow."
Time of India
18-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
17 of jeweller's family, 8 kids among them, die in fire near Hyderabad Charminar
PTI photo HYDERABAD: A century-old three-storey Hyderabad building close to the iconic Charminar caught fire early Sunday, killing 17 members across three generations of a jeweller's family that had assembled in their ancestral home for what was to be a weekend get-together. Patriarch Prahlad Modi , whose roots in Gulzar Houz go back to the Nizam era, and eight children were among the victims, ranging from 2 to 73 years old. They died either from burn injuries or asphyxiation, officials said. Four family members, two of whom were not at home, and some of their workers survived the 6am blaze, suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Fire engines needed more than two hours to douse the flames, by which time much of the residential-cum-commercial building had been gutted. Short circuit turned get-together into tragedy by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Fire brigade officials identified the main electrical panel on the ground floor that houses three jewellery stores of the family as the source of the fire. One of the stores had been in business since 1906. 'Sparks caused by the short circuit in the main electrical line spread through the wooden panel and triggered a blast in the compressor unit of one of the ACs, resulting in the blaze growing,' director general of fire services Y Nagi Reddy said. 'Since the building has only one entrance and exit, and the staircase is very narrow, residents couldn't escape. The smoke further made it difficult for them to navigate their way out.' Nagi Reddy said 11 fire engines, a firefighting robot, 17 officers and 70 personnel were deployed to rescue survivors and douse the flames. He contested allegations by relatives of the dead about a delayed response. 'We received a call at 6.16am and immediately rushed our teams to the fire scene,' the DG said. None of 17 Hyd fire victims taken to hospitals could be revived Charminar police station registered a fire accident case based on a complaint by a relative of Prahlad Modi. None of the 17 victims who had been taken to different hospitals – Osmania General Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Yashoda Hospital – could be revived. They were all cremated in the evening. Residents of the Gulzar Houz neighbourhood recalled hearing ominous noises from the building where Prahlad Modi lived with his wife Munni and others soon after the fire broke out. 'By the time we reached the site, the entire building was engulfed in flames. There was little hope of anyone surviving,' said Mir Zahid, a neighbour. PM Narendra Modi announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased from the PM's National Relief Fund. 'Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,' he wrote on X. Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy, too, announced Rs 5 lakh in ex gratia to the victims' immediate families. Prahlad Modi and his family migrated to Hyderabad from Rajasthan decades ago and have been based in Gulzar Houz since. The extended clan, now spread across the city, would often meet at the patriarch's home, sources said.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Hyderabad fire: Man inconsolable as he lights his children's pyres at Puranapul crematorium
Hyderabad: Asha Agarwal, the lone surviving daughter of Prahlad Modi and Munni Bai, was left shattered after her two children Pratham and Pranshi perished in the fire. While Pratham is in class X, Pranshi is in class 1. Asha's husband Rohith performed the final rites of their children at Puranapul graveyard on Sunday evening. Along with Pratham and Pranshi, the final rites of 13 other family members who died in the horrific fire were performed at the same graveyard. A large number of relatives and well-wishers from across the city gathered at the graveyard to mourn their deaths. Of the deceased, three children were buried, while the rest were cremated. A pall of gloom fell as 13 pyres were lit simultaneously by the kin of the deceased persons. The final rites of two other persons who died in the tragedy were performed at ESI and Panjagutta graveyards on Sunday evening. Rohith, a businessman, broke down inconsolably while performing the final rites of his two children, as his family members tried in vain to console him. Prahlad Modi's cousin, Govind Modi, told TOI that their ancestors moved to Hyderabad over a century ago and have since been residing near Charminar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Incredible: The world's toughest smartwatch designed for the military Indestructible Smartwatch Undo Prahlad Modi took up the family business, and the family spread out in the city as his daughters got married. 'His daughters and their children came here to spend the weekend with the elderly couple and the extended family. The children had a lot of fun till late into the night. But as the day broke, we lost them all,' said a teary-eyed Govind Modi at Osmania mortuary. While Asha is a resident of Moosarambagh, Prahlad Modi's two other daughters, Rajini Agarwal and Sheetal Jain, lived with their families at Sanath Nagar and Yousufguda.
