HYDERABAD: Family members of the deceased alleged that fire tenders reached the spot at least 25 to 30 minutes after being informed. They also claimed that the vehicles did not have sufficient water to douse the flames, resulting in further spread of the blaze.“I live just 200 metres from here, and I was one of the first to arrive at the spot. First, the fire tenders arrived only around 6.45am, by which time most of the building was engulfed in flames. What was even more surprising was that the first vehicle did not have enough water. It had to ask for a refill from Moghalpura or the High Court fire station,” Utkarsh Agarwal, a cousin of the family, told TOI.Several locals and vendors made similar observations. “The issue of water prevailed for about 15 to 20 minutes during which some lives could have been easily saved,” alleged a local on condition of anonymity.Another family member said that while the CAT 108 ambulances arrived late, some either did not have an oxygen mask or the the oxygen cylinders were not in a working state. “I told the personnel from the initial fire tender that there are around 20 people inside. But they arranged only four ambulances, which also came after 30 to 40 minutes. Moreover, if there were proper oxygen masks and cylinders, some people could have been saved.“Meanwhile, Union minister G Kishan Reddy stated on Sunday the fire services department needs increased funding and better equipment. After visiting the site in the Old City, he said: “Some locals informed me that fire services staff arrived a bit late.” He called for strengthening the fire safety, police, and municipal departments in light of the city’s large population of one crore. However, fire authorities refuted the allegations and said the teams received the call at 6.16am, dispatched tenders from the Moghalpura fire station at 6.17am, and reached the accident spot at 6.20am. An official from the fire dept said, “There was no delay. It might have been possible that the call was made late to the fire department, several minutes after the fire started.”