Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Feb 2: Three shops were burnt in a massive fire incident in Mendhar town of district Poonch last night.
A police official said three shops were completely gutted in the fire augmented by the explosion of three LPG cylinders in Mendhar town during early hours on Wednesday.
He said the fire broke out under mysterious circumstances near Dak Bungalow Mendhar at around 3:30 am. Three gas cylinders inside one of the shops- a tea stall, exploded leading to blast-like sound which caused panic in the entire vicinity.
Fire and Emergency Department men along with a police party from Mendhar Police Station reached the spot and brought the fire under control. However, three shops were completely gutted.
SHO Mendhar, Manzoor Kohli told that while three shops, belonging to Mumtaz Ahmed Khan son of Hadayat Ullha Khan of Goulad Mendhar, were completely gutted, another shop of clothes suffered massive loss. However, no loss of life or injury was reported in the incident.
The victims have appealed to the administration for help, although the cause of fire is not clear. A case has been registered at Mendhar Police Station and investigation has been started.