Telangana Government sanctions Rs. 85 lakh for families of Gulzar Houz fire victims
Hyderabad: The Government of Telangana has sanctioned ₹85 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund as ex-gratia to the families of 17 people who died in a major fire accident at Gulzar Houz near Charminar on May 18, 2025. The financial assistance has been released to the District Collector, Hyderabad, through Cheque No. 031380, dated July 11, 2025.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of May 18 around 6:20 a.m., engulfed a G+2 residential building located at Gulzar Houz Chowrasta in Bahadurpura. It is believed to have started on the ground floor and quickly spread to the upper levels, trapping several residents. Seventeen people, including elderly individuals, young parents, and children, lost their lives in the incident.
The deceased have been identified as: Prahlad (70), Munni (70), Rajendar Modi (65), Sumitra (60), Hamey (7), Abhishek (31), Sheetal (35), Priyansh (4), Iraaj (2), Arushi (3), Rishabh (4), Pratham (1.5), Anuyan (3), Varsha (35), Pankaj (36), Rajini (32), and Iddu (4).
The Telangana State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Department received an alert at 6:16 a.m. Firefighting units from 12 stations, including Moghalpura, High Court, Gowliguda, Salarjung, Museum, CLB, Hazmat, Gandhi Outpost, HPF101, Rajendranagar, Secretariat, and Langer House, were deployed. The operation involved 11 vehicles, an advanced firefighting robot, and a Bronto Skylift hydraulic platform. Around 17 officers and 70 personnel worked for over two hours to control the blaze.
Due to the dense construction and narrow lanes in the Old City, emergency teams faced challenges accessing the site. The quick response, however, prevented the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who closely monitored the situation, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and ordered a detailed investigation into the cause of the fire. He also directed ministers and senior officials to visit the site and oversee relief efforts. Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and IG Nagireddy were among those who visited the scene and coordinated immediate assistance.
The government announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh per deceased. The sanctioned ₹85 lakh will be disbursed accordingly by the District Collector, who has been instructed to acknowledge receipt of the cheque and submit a compliance report to the government.
