Shortly after a fire broke out in a home in the busy market area near Hyderabad's Charminar, local residents rushed in as first responders and started bringing out those trapped inside. Zahir, who has a bangle business, was among them. Speaking to NDTV in the aftermath of the tragedy, which left 17 people of a family dead, he described a heartbreaking sight: a woman had embraced her children in a last-ditch attempt to protect them from the flames. They were charred in that last embrace.