Hyderabad, May 15 : Nine people were rescued after a huge fire broke out in a multi-storey building in the Afzal Gunj area in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Firefighters saved nine people, including two children, from the third floor of the building located near Gol Masjid in the commercial centre of Siddi Amber Bazar.

Police said fire tenders rushed to the spot after locals alerted the Fire Services Department. The firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining shops.

Six fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the fire.

Officials said the fire spread rapidly as plastic disposables were stored on the first two floors of the building.

As the flames leapt to the third floor, a family staying there raised an alarm. The firefighters rescued the nine people with the help of a crane.

The rescued people include two children and an old woman. They sustained minor injuries.

Thick smoke from the building enveloped the entire area, sending panic among residents in adjoining buildings.

Police, fire brigade and Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) personnel rushed to the spot. As the staircase was filled with thick smoke, the firefighters were using ladders and cranes to douse the flames through windows.

According to police, the fire started on the first floor and spread to the second floor. Noticing the fire, some locals dialled the fire emergency number.

The cause of the fire was not known. However, authorities suspect that a short-circuit led to the mishap.

Meanwhile, a private bus was gutted in a fire accident in Medchal Malkajgiri district on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Thursday.

The accident occurred on the Hyderabad-Nagpur national highway. A tragedy was averted as there were no passengers in the bus when it caught fire.

The bus was heading to Kompallay from Banda Mylaram. The alert bus driver stopped the vehicle and jumped out along with the cleaner.

/IANS