Srinagar, Feb 5: At least 10 residential houses were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Bhagyas area of Chattabal in Srinagar, officials said.
According to Fire and Emergency Services, a distress call was received by the State Fire Control Room, Batamaloo, at around 6:31 am. Within a minute, the first fire tender was dispatched from Fire and Emergency Services Safakadal to the spot.
Given the congested layout of the locality, additional fire tenders were pressed into service from Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters, Syed Hameed Pora, Maharaj Gunj and Babdemb to contain the rapidly spreading flames.
Firefighters found three to four residential houses already engulfed in flames upon arrival. The situation escalated after two to three LPG cylinders exploded, causing the fire to spread swiftly to adjacent houses that were annexed with one another.
In total, around 10 residential houses were completely gutted in the incident. After sustained efforts, firefighting teams managed to bring the blaze under control, while cooling operations were underway to rule out any possibility of re-ignition.
The firefighting operation was led by Incharge Fire Station Safakadal Aadil Zargar in coordination with concerned divisional fire officers, under the guidance of Deputy Director Fire and Emergency Services Dr Mir Aqib Hussain and Mobilising Officer Aijaz Ahmad Shah.
Meanwhile, ADGP Fire and Emergency Services Alok Kumar appealed to the public to exercise caution, particularly during night hours, and advised against leaving electrical equipment unattended as a preventive safety measure.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known and is under investigation. No injuries or casualties were reported till the filing of this report. [KNT]
