Overview

• A short circuit in an early-morning shop on July 3 ignited flames on the street leading to the Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple.
• The blaze spread to a dried coconut frond canopy and gutted two shops and a shed before firefighting units arrived.
• Three fire tenders contained the fire within about an hour and no injuries were reported.
• Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams officials and local authorities have launched an investigation to assess damage and identify safety lapses.
• The incident follows a deadly January stampede in Tirupati and has intensified calls for stricter electrical and crowd-management regulations.