Fire triggered by crackers during Telangana Formation Day celebrations, no casualties

A tent caught fire due to firecrackers burst during the Telangana Formation Day celebrations in Nizamabad district, officials said, adding that there were no casualties. The incident occurred on Wednesday, June 7, when Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) workers burst firecrackers to welcome state Minister for Roads and Buildings Vemula Prashanth Reddy in Puranipet village. Prashanth Reddy was visiting the village to participate in a programme organised near a lake. 

As part of Formation Day celebrations, cultural programmes are being held near water bodies across the state. According to witnesses, one of the firecrackers fell on the tent resulting in the fire. The tent was completely gutted. 

A similar incident in Khammam district on April 12 had claimed at least two lives. Several others were badly injured in the major fire accident during a procession led by BRS workers in Cheemalapadu village of Karepalli mandal under Wyra Assembly constituency. Several victims collapsed on the ground with injuries, and at least one person lost their foot in the blast, which was reportedly triggered by fireworks set off during the political rally. The two deceased persons were BRS workers, while the injured persons include BRS workers, police personnel, journalists and local residents. 

In November last year, in another similar incident, a man hired to set off fireworks suffered critical burns in a fire accident in Sangareddy district amid celebrations by BRS workers over the launch of eight new state government medical colleges. The man, Kushal, was hired to burst firecrackers during a bike rally led by BRS Sangareddy district president and former MLA Chinta Prabhakar. He was seated in the back of an auto trolley carrying firecrackers and was setting off fireworks when one of them misfired and triggered a fire in the vehicle.