Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 6: At least 12 residential houses were gutted in a massive blaze that broke out in the early hours today in the Syedpora area of Nowhatta in old Srinagar, causing extensive damage to property.
Eyewitnesses said the blaze erupted around 4:00 am, triggering panic among residents as flames rapidly engulfed several closely built houses.
Locals said the congested locality and the presence of old, wooden structures allowed the fire to spread quickly, leading to heavy losses.
Fire and Emergency Services officials said a fire call was received by the State Fire Control Room, Batamaloo, at 3:39 am, following which Fire Station Rainawari rushed the first response to the spot.
In view of the high intensity of the fire and the congested nature of the area, additional fire tenders and manpower were mobilised from multiple stations, according to the officials.
“On arrival, it was observed that two to three residential houses were involved in the fire. Firefighting operations were initiated immediately. However, the fire further intensified due to multiple gas cylinder bursts,” officials said.
They added that timely and coordinated efforts of Fire & Emergency Services teams eventually brought the blaze under control, adding that a total of nine to ten structures were gutted in the incident.
During the operation, officials said water was also sourced from the reservoirs of Jamia Masjid.
Residents, however, blamed the lack of adequate water supply for the scale of destruction.
Locals alleged that fire tenders faced difficulties due to the absence of adequate back-up water supply.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.
Officials from the Revenue Department arrived at the site in the morning to assess the damage, according to the locals.
The operation was headed by Deputy Director Fire & Emergency Services, Dr Mir Aqib Hussain, and supervised by Divisional Fire Officers of City and Headquarters, along with in-charges of all responding fire stations.
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