2 charred to death

Tragedy struck Vijayawada on Diwali eve on Sunday when two persons were charred to death and another was injured in a fire that broke out in a cluster of firecracker shops at Gymkhana grounds in the Gandhi Nagar area of the city.
Workers were apparently sleeping in one of the three shops that was destroyed in the fire, police said.

The deceased were identified as Brahma and Kasi, both aged around 35 years. The police shifted the bodies to the Government General Hospital for post-mortem. Four fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.

The fire services personnel prevented the fire from spreading to other stalls and the petrol pump which was hardly 100 feet away  Each trader spends about Rs 1.50 lakh for the installation of the stall and payment of fees and taxes to the government. Three firecracker shops were burnt down.People residing in houses in the vicinity were jolted out of their sleep following the explosive sound caused by the fire.