Fire guts two residential houses in Banihal

Banihal, Feb 03: Two residential houses were completely gutted in a devastating fire that broke out in the remote Koot area of Tehsil Khari in Ramban district on Tuesday afternoon.

According to officials, the fire erupted at around 12:30 pm and quickly engulfed the houses belonging to Abdul Qayoom Naik and Yasir Ahmed Naik; sons of Atta Mohammad Naik, residents of Koot Khari. All household belongings, including ration stocked for the winter season, were reduced to ashes.

As the area is located far away from the nearest motorable road, immediate access for firefighting vehicles was not possible. Soon after the incident, local residents of Koot and Urka , particularly women made frantic efforts to control the blaze using water-filled utensils.

A police team from Khari, along with volunteers of the Quick Response Team (QRT) Khari, rushed to the spot and joined the firefighting efforts. Fire Service personnel from Banihal also reached the area; however, fire tenders could not be taken to the far-flung location due to the absence of road connectivity.

However no loss of life was reported in the incident.

The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known, while authorities have initiated an assessment of the losses caused.