Srinagar, Jan 2: A house and a mutton shop were gutted in two separate fire incidents in Srinagar on Thursday evening.
Officials said that the first incident was reported from SD Colony in Batamaloo area at around 9:41 pm. According to officials, the fire call was received by the State Fire Control Room in Srinagar, after which fire tenders from the Fire and Emergency Services headquarters were dispatched to the spot within a minute.
“When our teams reached the location, they found a three-storey residential house involved in fire, with the second floor and attic portion fully affected,” an official of the Fire and Emergency Services said.
The officials said firefighting operations were initiated immediately, and the flames were prevented from spreading to nearby structures. “The area is highly congested, and we had to press additional fire boozers into service to ensure adequate water supply,” he said.
Officials said that at the preliminary stage, the cause of the fire is suspected to be a short circuit. “A detailed investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause,” the official said, while confirming that no loss of life was reported. Later the same night, another fire incident was reported from the Khanyar area near the Dastgeer Sahib (RA) shrine, where a mutton shop was gutted in a blaze. The fire call in this case was received at around 10:38 pm, officials said.
“Our teams responded promptly and managed to control the fire before it could spread further,” an official said.
Fire and Emergency Services officials said that as Srinagar steps into January amid freezing temperatures, the risk of fire incidents increases due to extensive use of heating appliances and faulty wiring. “We have already issued advisories and are conducting awareness programmes to sensitise people about fire safety measures during winter,” the official added.