SRINAGAR: At least 20 structures were gutted in a devastating fire that broke out early Saturday morning in Tujgari Mohalla, Sheikh Colony, Srinagar.
According to police, fire broke out in the residential house of Abdul Rahim Sheikh son of Ghulam Mohammad resident of Tujgari Mohalla in the jurisdiction of police station Nowhatta today.
Fire soon spread and engulfed other 19 adjacent residential houses.
The houses were completely gutted while two structures were partially damaged in the inferno. However, there was no loss of life in the incident.
Sources said that locals reached the spot and started rescue operation, carrying water in buckets and other utensils to douse the raging flames.
Though civil authorities and Fire Services Department said that the exact reasons for the fire were yet to be ascertained, locals alleged that a minor fire incident engulfed the entire area as fire tenders failed to reach on time.
Fire tenders were empty when they reached there which proves the irresponsible attitude of the department, claimed Manzoor Ahmed Shiekh, a local resident.
Dozens of houses were reduced to ashes by the time fire tenders came to the area. We time and again requested the state government to install water motors to avoid such fire incidents but of no avail, rued the locals.
More than 13 fire tenders from different areas of the Srinagar were used to douse the fire.
I had built this house after toiling hard, but now it has been reduced to ashes, said Merajudin whose house was completely damaged in the inferno.
He said that he was the sole bread earner of his family consisting of his parents, wife and three children and has nowhere to go now.
Meanwhile, District Development Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Shah along with police and civil administration visited the area and handed over cheques of Rs 2000/ each to the affected families.
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