Mir Zahed and Mohd Azmath were among the first to enter the building and rescue 13 people out of the burning building in Hyderabad at 6:10 am, even before the fire services arrived at the site.
| Photo Credit: Naveen Kumar

Just minutes after offering their morning namaz, Mir Zahed and Mohd Azmath were walking past the building near Gulzar Houz when they heard screams from two women. Smoke was billowing from the upper floors of the house, and panic had gripped the narrow lane.

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“We saw two women crying, saying there was a fire and people were stuck inside,” recalled Zahed. Without a moment’s hesitation — and before the first fire tenders had even arrived — the duo barged into the building, determined to help. They recounted how they broke two walls to reach the room where they found women and children trapped due to the fire. What they encountered was gut-wrenching. On the first floor, a woman was found clutching five to seven children in a desperate embrace — all of them lifeless. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” Mr. Zahed said.

They climbed to the second floor, where six more people were found, some injured, others barely conscious. The two had entered the building around 6.10 a.m. and managed to bring survivors out only by 8.40 a.m.

They were among the first to reach the building and respond to the chaos unfolding inside.

Their quick thinking and raw courage stood out that morning. The locals and family friends thanked them for their prompt response.