Srinagar witnesses 600 fire incidents this year

Srinagar, Dec 29: Srinagar continues to be grappled by major fire incidents this year with the loss of properties worth crores of rupees.

Amid freezing cold in winter, fire incidents in the summer are on the rise mainly involving mishandling of heating appliances.

As per the official data accessed by Greater Kashmir, Srinagar witnessed 600 fire incidents in 2024. The data is up to the end of November, as officials say that number could increase given the spike in fire incidents in winter.

The official data also revealed that property worth 700 crore rupees was involved in the fire incidents, of which over 23 crore rupees worth of properties were lost to fire while the rest of it was saved.

“As per our official data, the department saved property worth 688 crore rupees. While carrying out the operations, at least 23 firemen were injured in J&K, which includes those injured in Srinagar,” said an official.

The officials said that there were also a significant number of forest fires in Srinagar this year. The data reveals that at least eight forest fire incidents were reported in Srinagar only. The officials said that given that Srinagar is not majorly surrounded by forest, this number is significant. They said amid the dry spell over the years, there was a rise in forest fire incidents too.

Aqib Hussain Mir, Assistant Director of Fire and Emergency Services, said that the department was successful in ensuring there is an increased awareness about fire safety, which helped a lot. He said over 300 awareness programs were held across Srinagar about fire safety and precautions. “The families, especially women, are at home, and they are the first respondents of fire incidents. Under the direction of our worthy director, we held community-based programs and also educated youngsters in educational institutes. The winters are at their peak, and the use of heating gadgets is high. We are time and again issuing advisories about do’s and don’ts which we want people to follow strictly,” Mir said.

The officials said that the majority of the fire incidents reported in Srinagar occur during night hours. They said amid the increased use of heating gadgets, there has been a rise in incidents during the night. “People usually forget to turn off these gadgets which trigger the majority of fire incidents,” He said, adding at least 60-80 awareness programs are in the pipeline in upcoming months, and they will spread more awareness to ensure that these incidents are prevented.