12 Shops Gutted In Tirumala Shopping Complex Blaze

A massive fire broke out at a shopping complex in Tirumala of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. The incident took place near Asthana Mandapam right opposite the main Sri Venkateswara temple. Six shops were gutted and two others partially damaged. The shopping complex is located less than a furlong from the main temple complex.

Tirumala Fire Station Officer Venkati Rami Reddy said that they reached the spot immediately after they had received the news. He said that nearly 20 shops were damaged in the fire; Of them, 12 were completely gutted and the remaining suffered partial damage. There are nearly 100 shops in the complex. The fire tenders had a hard time reaching the spot as the lanes were congested.

The officer said that they found the body of a youth in shop number four. The deceased has been identified as Tummala Mallireddy (45), working as a photographer in the shop. Mallireddy, who lives in Tiruchanur, slept in the shop during the night. He was burnt alive as he couldn't escape the blaze. He is survived by his wife Shobha and a son.

The CI suspects electrical short circuit to be the reason behind the mishap and the damage of property is estimated to be more than Rs. 40 lakh.

After the fire accident, TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy, VGO Bali Reddy, DSP Prabhakar Reddy took stock of the situation. They expressed grief over the death of the man. MLA Karunakar Reddy said that the government will extend a support to help the victims.