A fire erupted at a busy wholesale cracker shop in southern India’s Telangana causing widespread panic among locals but resulting in no injuries.

The incident took place at Paras Fireworks, a wholesale cracker shop located in the Abids area of Hyderabad on October 27.

Visuals showed a sudden blaze erupted inside a crowded cracker shop, igniting the firecrackers one by one, quickly setting the entire shop ablaze. Chaos spread as people rushed outside, some injured, adding to the panic. Flames engulfed the shop, creating an atmosphere of fear, while the surrounding area filled with anxious onlookers.

Following a distress call received at 9:18 p.m., five fire tenders, including those from Gowliguda, Osmania Hospital outpost, Gandhi Hospital outpost, Musheerabad, and the Assembly fire station, were dispatched. Upon assessing the fire’s intensity, additional resources like Multi-Purpose Tenders from Yakutpura, Gandhi OP, Musheerabad, and a Water Browser were sent to contain the blaze, which was brought under control by 10 p.m.

Investigations revealed that Paras Fireworks, located on the ground floor with a mezzanine under a tin shed, was operating without authorized safety measures. Though granted a temporary license (License no. 389802024) to sell firecrackers in an open space, Paras Fireworks was selling from this location, violating the terms of its license and lacking fire protection systems. Due to these violations and the negligence leading to this incident, the Fire Department has canceled the temporary license and announced it will prosecute Paras Corporation under Section-31/32 of the Telangana Fire Service Act, 1999, for endangering public safety. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.