Building gutted in fire incident at Goni Khan market

Srinagar, Feb 11: A commercial building was gutted in famous Goni Khan market here today.

As per the officials of Fire and Emergency Services, the fire incident occurred on Tuesday in which a section of a shopping complex was engulfed. The officials said that they immediately responded to the fire call and avoided a big incident that could have spread across the market.

"As soon as we received a call from the control room at Batamaloo, we immediately informed the nearest Gaw Kadal station and pressed multiple units to douse off the flames. Fortunately, the fire was brought under control; however, the top portion of the complex was gutted," an official from the Fire and Emergency Services said.

The officials on the ground said they reached the spot quickly due to less traffic congestion at Lal Chowk at that time. “The timely action saved the market from the major devastation,” the official added.

Meanwhile the officials said that no casualties have been reported from the incident. They said the cause of the fire is yet to be known and will be clear after investigation.

Witnesses said that the Fire and Emergency Services arrived in time. However, they said that the "Barricade structure in place under the Smart City project affected the navigation of emergency vehicles. Such issues should be addressed to ensure that the movement of emergency vehicles is not hindered,” they said.

To mention, there has been a rise in fire incidents in and around Srinagar. On Monday, multiple houses were gutted in two separate fire incidents in Srinagar.