LG expresses grief, lauds valour of fire fighters
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 12: Three fire fighters lost their lives while six persons including four civilians and two firemen suffered injuries when a three-storey building housing a saw mill on its ground floor collapsed early this morning in Talab Tillo area when the firemen were trying to control the fire that broke out in the building.
According to the reports, a major fire broke out into an old three-storey building at Gole Puli in Talab Tillo area at about 4: 45 AM. After getting a call regarding fire from someone, a dozen fire tenders from Fire Station City, Canal Road, Roop Nagar and Gandhi Nagar rushed to the spot and while the firefighters were busy in dousing the flames, the building suddenly collapsed in which several firemen and some civilians residing in the building were trapped.
After getting reports of building collapse, teams of police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. They were later joined by a team of National Disaster Response Force. After hectic efforts, all the trapped persons including five fire fighters and four civilians were rescued but three of them were in unconscious condition. They were immediately rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, where those in unconscious condition were declared as brought dead by the doctors.
The deceased fire fighters were identified as Constable Vimal Raina, 32, son of Manohar Krishan Raina of Janipur (posted in Roop Nagar fire station), Constable Mohd Aslam son of Mohd Din of Dral, Rajouri (posted in fire station Canal Road) and Constable Rattan Lal son of Tara Ram of Khanpur, Pounichak (posted in fires station Canal Road) while the injured were identified as Head Constable Puran Singh, 55, son of Gian Singh, resident of Pallanwalla, Head Constable Sat Pal, 55, son of Krishan Lal of Suderbani, Lokesh, 44, son of Krishan Lal, resident of Talab Tillo, Amit, 26, son of Ramesh, resident of Talab Tillo, Gurpreet Singh, 30, son of Davinder Singh, resident of Talab Tillo and Rahil, 28, son of Ravi Kant, resident of Talab Tillo.
The rescue operation ended at about 2.30 PM while the fire fighting operation continued till this evening with fire fighters remaining on the spot to prevent further spread of fire. As a precautionary measure, the road from Canal Head to Gole Puli was closed for vehicular traffic by the police and the whole traffic was diverted.
Top officers of civil and police administration as well as J&K Fire Services including Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, Director General of Police, Prison and Fire & Emergency Services, VK Singh and SSP Jammu Sridhar Patil themselves monitored the whole rescue operation. RK Raina AD Kathua/Samba, DFO Headquarters and DFO City assisted DG Fire & Emergency Services.
Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, VK Singh said the Fire Department rushed fire fighters after receiving a distress call at 4.48 AM and were making efforts to put out the blaze when suddenly the building collapsed at 5.30 AM.
The DG said there was a huge stock of timber in the saw mill and a gas cylinder also exploded during the fire after which the building collapsed probably due to intense heat. He added the NDRF team was mobilized from Pathankot to assist in the rescue operation.
“We have lost our three brave fire fighters in the mishap while two of our personnel suffered injuries,” Singh said, adding that while one of the firemen is being treated for serious burn injuries, the other is undergoing treatment for head injuries.
Conveying his deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, Singh highlighted the supreme sacrifice by the fire fighters in the discharge of their duty is in line with the highest traditions of J&K Fire and Emergency Services.
The DG also visited GMC Jammu to enquire about the health of the injured personnel. Later, he called on Lt Governor GC Murmu and briefed him about the incident and health condition of the injured fire fighters, besides medical treatment being provided to them.
Murmu also expressed grief over the death of three fire fighters and prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families in their hour of grief. He directed the administration to provide the best-possible medical treatment to the injured.
The Lieutenant Governor lauded the valour of the firefighters and observed that they have always remained at the forefront during a fire outbreak or any other such emergency situations.
Lauding the role of the Fire and Emergency Services in restricting the blaze in the congested area, Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said despite suffering casualties, the firefighters did a tremendous job in controlling the fire and rescuing trapped civilians.
“It is a tragic incident and we are looking into the cause of the fire. It is a matter of investigation whether the building was unsafe,” he told reporters.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam AhmedMir and several other senior leaders including Raman Bhalla, Mula Ram and Ravinder Sharma expressed their heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for early recovery of the injured. They also urged the administration to look into the causes of fire incident and the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla and other senior Congress leaders visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured and requested the hospital authorities to provide best medical treatment to the injured. They also demanded adequate compensation to the families of those who lost their lives in the line of duty and also job to one of their family members.
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