India, May 18 -- A fire in a building that killed at least 17 people in Hyderabad's Gulzar Houz near Chaarminar was caused by a short circuit, the preliminary inquiry into the incident by the fire department showed.

The fire broke out at the Krishna Pearls shop and the residential building in the Gulzar Houz area on Sunday morning. A total of 11 fire engines were dispatched to the spot to bring the blaze under control.

According to a statement by the Telangana disaster response and fire services director general Y Nagi Reddy, the initial inquiry showed that the cause of the fire was a short circuit.

"The preliminary examination shows that the cause was a short circuit. The cause of death of all the 17 people was smoke inhalation, "nobo...