9 houses gutted at Nowhatta
Srinagar, Feb 6: A massive fire broke out in the congested Syedpora area of Nowhatta in the wee hours on Friday gutting at least nine residential houses and leaving several families homeless amid biting cold.
The blaze, which erupted when most residents were asleep, has once again highlighted the vulnerability of Srinagar’s densely packed downtown localities to devastating fire incidents. According to Fire and Emergency Services officials, the fire call was received by the State Fire Control Room, Batamaloo, at around 3:39 am. Fire Station Rainawari was the first to reach the spot, but given the intensity of the flames and the narrow lanes of the area, additional fire tenders and manpower were rushed from multiple stations across the city and outskirts.
“When our teams reached the area, two to three houses were already engulfed in flames. The fire intensified rapidly due to multiple gas cylinder bursts, and at least nine residential structures were gutted in total,” an official from Fire and Emergency Services said, adding that the close proximity of houses and extensive use of wood in old structures allowed the fire to spread quickly. To mention, Syedpora, like much of Downtown Srinagar, is characterised by cramped lanes, old residential buildings, and houses built wall-to-wall, making firefighting operations extremely challenging. Officials said maneuvering fire tenders through the narrow bylanes and ensuring a steady water supply posed serious hurdles during the operation. They said water was eventually sourced from the reservoirs of Jamia Masjid, with residents and the district administration expressing gratitude to the Jamia Masjid Intizamia for their timely cooperation that helped contain the blaze.
Officials said the firefighting operation was headed by Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services Mir Aqib Hussain and supervised by divisional fire officers of the city and headquarters, along with in-charges of all responding stations.
For the affected families, the loss is total. “We lost everything in minutes. Clothes, furniture, documents, nothing is left,” said a distraught resident, standing amid the charred remains of his house. Another victim said the fire struck when families were fast asleep. “We woke up to screams and flames. Now we have no shelter in this cold.”
Locals appealed to the administration for immediate relief and rehabilitation, saying multiple families have been rendered homeless and are in urgent need of temporary accommodation, food, and essentials. The Nowhatta blaze is the second major fire incident in Srinagar within the last 24 hours. On Thursday, a separate fire at Chattabal gutted seven residential houses, leaving several families without shelter.
