The fire, police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who rushed to Hotel Swarna Palace-cum-COVID care centre, which caught fire in the city, save about 25 persons from the blaze.
According to Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, the fire broke out between 4.45a.m. and 5 a.m. and the fire personnel received the call at 5.09 a.m.
Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita said the fire and police personnel reached the spot by 5.13 a.m. and started rescuing the patients.
“The police, fire and NDRF personnel rescued many patients from the COVID-19 care centre, though they do not have gloves and PPE kits. I thank the rescue teams for showing the courage,” said Krishna District Collector A.Md. Imtiaz.
Vijayawada Police Commissioner Bathina Srinivasulu said the police and firemen reached the spot in less than five minutes and rescued the patients trapped in fire.
“By the time we reached the hotel building, fire spread in to the rooms in first and second floors. With great difficulty, we reached the second floor and rescued the patients trapped in the rooms,” said Krishna District Fire Officer (DGO) M. Srinivas Reddy.
‘Patients fell unconcious’
“When we entered into the rooms, we found a few patients lying unconscious. As fire engulfed the corridors, we shifted the victims through the windows by using ladders,” Governorpet CI Nagaraju.
“I was jogging around 5.15 a.m. I saw the fire tenders and police vehicles rushing towards the hotel. After a few minutes, I observed fire and police personnel rescuing the patients on stretchers. Later, NDRF personnel joined them. Had the rescued did not reach the spot immediately, the toll would have been more,” said a morning walker T. Ramakrishna.
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services Director K. Jayaram Naik said that six fire tenders and about 50 fire personnel participated in the rescue operation. “All the firemen would be rewarded,” said Regional Fire Officer G. Srinivasulu.
NDRF 10th Battallion Commandant Zahid Khan said the teams entered the hotel rooms by cutting the doors and windows by using hacksaw blades. They rescued many patients trapped in the smoke.
