2 houses gutted at Shamaswari

Srinagar, Nov 5: Two multi-storied houses were gutted in a massive blaze that broke out around midnight at the Shamaswari area of Fateh Kadal in Downtown, officials said.

The officials from the Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) department said that they received the fire call at around 11:04 pm on Tuesday. They said the blaze erupted in a congested locality, quickly spreading to adjoining structures.

“Soon after receiving the call, fire tenders from Headquarters, MR Gunj, Habakadal, Safakadal, and nearby stations were rushed to the spot. Our men battled the flames for several hours to prevent the fire from spreading further,” an official from the F&ES department told Greater Kashmir.

He said two multi-storied residential houses were gutted in the blaze, while efforts by the firemen prevented nearby houses from catching fire. “The cause of the fire is being ascertained,” the official added.

During the incident, a fireman sustained injuries during the operation. “He is stable and out of danger,” officials said.

Witnesses said residents rushed out of their homes at night. “There was chaos all around; the fire had engulfed the houses within minutes,” said a local resident, adding that people from the neighbours joined in efforts to douse the flames before the fire service teams arrived.

Meanwhile, fire broke out in a commercial building at the Rajbagh area of Srinagar on Wednesday evening, officials said. Officials said the building houses a branch of a bank and several other commercial establishments. Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services Department said they received a call about the incident at around 5:21 pm.

“We immediately rushed fire tenders from Headquarters and Gaw Kadal stations to the spot. Our teams are on the job, and the fire is under control as of now,” an officer from the department told Greater Kashmir.

People quickly moved out of nearby offices and shops as the fire spread to the upper portion,” said a local shopkeeper.

Officials said that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. “The cause is under investigation. Further details will be available once the operation is completed,” the officer added.

Officials said no injuries were reported till the last reports came in, while firemen continued cooling operations to prevent the flames from reigniting. He added that “complete details about the incident will be available when the operation is concluded.”