4 houses gutted in Nawa Kadal blaze

Srinagar, Jul 21: At least four residential houses were gutted in a fire incident at Khanqa-e-Sokhta locality of Nawa Kadal in Downtown.

Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services said a distress call was received at 3:47 am, prompting an immediate firefighting operation.

“We rushed fire tenders from our Headquarters, Safakadal, SH Pora, and Babademb stations. Despite the intensity of the fire, we managed to bring the flames under control in time and prevented further spread,” said an official from the department.

The affected structures included four multiple-storied houses, all of which sustained significant damage, particularly to the upper portions, windows, and roofs. The officials stated that household items, including furniture, bedding, and other essentials, were destroyed in the blaze.

“As per initial findings, the cause of the fire is believed to be an electric short circuit,” said an official.

Amid the chaos, one firefighter, Mir Naseer Ahmad, sustained injuries during the operation. He was promptly rushed to hospital and is currently reported to be in stable condition.

For the affected residents, the fire was nothing short of a nightmare. As per the details, four houses were involved, two houses that were fully damaged belonged to Syed Hussain Hamdani and Tasleem Arif Khan, while those partially damaged belonged to Irshad Ahmad Malik , Abid Hussain.

“We woke up to thick smoke and flames. There was panic all around. We couldn’t save anything, not even clothes. Everything we had is gone. But we are thankful to the fire department. Had they not arrived in time, the fire would have consumed the entire area,” said one of the fire victims.

The incident has again highlighted growing concerns of fire-related incidents. These incidents have been on the rise in Srinagar, particularly amid the ongoing heatwave conditions. Fire officials have once again urged residents to remain cautious.

“We are seeing an increase in such incidents, mostly due to overheating of electric wiring and short circuits. We request all residents to follow safety advisories,” the officials said.