Gachibowli Fire Station Clarifies Response Time After Tirumala Hills Blaze

A fire accident at a house on Tirumala Hills Road No. 11 near the Golden Temple in Puppalaguda, Manikonda, has triggered concerns over emergency response times after social media posts alleged a 55-minute delay in emergency services reaching the location on Thursday night.

Local residents questioned why the fire tender was dispatched from the Gachibowli Fire Station when stations at Film Nagar and Golconda were geographically closer to the spot. Citizens raised allegations that jurisdictional divisions may have hindered the response and urged senior officials to ensure that the closest available fire station is deployed during emergencies.

Responding to the concerns, Gachibowli Fire Station Station House Officer (SHO) N Srikanth clarified that although the Film Nagar station was closer to the site, the emergency call was diverted to Gachibowli by the emergency response system.

Srikanth refuted the allegations of a prolonged delay, stating that fire personnel mobilized immediately upon receiving the alert and reached the location within 20 minutes.

"Usually, it takes about half an hour to reach the location, but we reached the place within 20 minutes," Srikanth said. He noted that the responding crew had to navigate through two heavily congested traffic junctions and manage narrow roadways to reach the house.

The SHO maintained that the fire personnel made every effort to reach the scene in the shortest possible time despite traffic obstacles.