2025 Gulzar Houz fire
| Date | 18 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | ~4:45 AM IST |
| Location | Gulzar Houz, Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
| Cause | Suspected electrical short circuit |
| Deaths | 17 |
| Non-fatal injuries | Several |
| Property damage | Extensive damage to a three-story building |
A fire in a building in Hyderabad, India, on 18 May 2025, killed 17 people, including eight children, and injured several more. The deceased, all members of the same family, were gathered for a family reunion when a fire broke out in the early morning. At about 4:45 am (IST), a display cabinet on the ground floor of the building, which housed a pearl shop, short-circuited and caused an explosion in an air conditioning unit's compressor. Fire rapidly spread through the building, exacerbated by wooden interiors and a lack of proper ventilation.
A worker noticed the fire, and alerted the family, who attempted to extinguish the fire themselves for about 45 minutes before emergency services were contacted; this delay contributed to the severity of the fire. The rest of the family went to the first floor to escape the smoke. At 6 am, two women from the family exited the building to alert nearby people about the fire, and those people contacted emergency services, who received the first distress call 16 minutes later. Eleven fire engines were dispatched, and the fire was brought under control by 9 am.
Many politicians, both at the national and state level, offered condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Telangana state government announced ex gratia payments to the family of the deceased and to the injured. Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy ordered a committee to investigate the fire; as of July 2025, there has not been any instructions given to the committee members nor the release of a report.