Hyderabad, Feb. 3 -- Telangana Congress leaders on Friday were stopped from visiting the fire-hit secretariat and were detained by the police.

The fire broke out in the yet-to-be-inaugurated Secretariat complex of the Telangana government here in the wee hours of Friday.

The new Secretariat complex is set to be inaugurated by chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on February 17, which happens to be his birthday.

The fire, which started on the ground floor around 2.30 a.m., spread to the first and second floors. Fire tenders rushed to the scene and doused the flames after battling the fire for two hours.

A total of 11 fire engines were pressed into service to control the fire, which is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. Th...