Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 23: Over 10 families were rendered homeless after six structures were gutted in a blaze that raged Namchabal area of the old city’s Fateh Kadal during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
Highly congested, the area is prone to fire incidents, enabling fire to spread swiftly and at the same time making the fire fighting quite difficult for the personnel of the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department.
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The eyewitnesses told Excelsior that the fire emerged from one of the buildings’ top floor and within no time engulfed at least 6 structures, leaving them completely damaged.
Officials from the F&ES told Excelsior that they received an SOS around 11:24 pm and within no time reached the spot; however, they said that due to the congestion at the spot of fire, the fire fighting turned out to be quite difficult.
They said that 4 residential houses, a three-storeyed Kacha and one four-storey pacca, all structures GCI sheet roofed, were involved in fire due to an electric short circuit.
“Roofing, including attic portion and upper storey of all the structures along with household goods partly damaged. While as other floors the structures sustained indirect damage due to heat and water,” the officials said.
One of the heads of the family who has lost his shelter in the blaze and identified himself as Waseem Ahmad, a cab driver by profession, said that he has been left with what he and his family members were wearing at the time of the fire.
“In these 6 structures 10 families were living and they have been left with nothing. I had recently bought school uniforms and books for my children, but it has all turned into ashes. We are in dire need of help,” he said.
Another local, Mushtaq Ahmad Mir said that the fire appeared in one of the buildings on the top floor around 11 pm and within no time engulfed other structures.
In fire fighting, 5 nearby fire stations were involved and after strenuous efforts, the flames were finally brought under control. The fire stations that were pressed into service include, F&ES Babdem; 3 km away F&ES Rainawari; 1.5 km away F&ES Habakadal; 5 km away F&ES S.H.Pora and 4 km away HQRS Srinagar.
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