Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 24: At least 41 shops were gutted in major fire in Uri town of North Kashmir’s Baramulla during last night reducing property worth crores to ashes.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Uri, Sandeep Bhat, told Excelsior that fire raged from a bakery shop in main market Uri at around 2 am and within no time it engulfed 40 other shops, godowns, private offices and hotels.
“Initially, a fire tender from Fire Station Uri started dousing the fire but it started to engulf nearby shops even as other tenders arrived. The Army also placed its fire extinguishers into the service and with the help of firemen, police, Army and locals, the blaze was finally doused in the morning,” said the SDPO.
Reports said the fire tenders were called in from Baramulla, Sangrama and Sopore to control fire but till the fire tenders reached to spot the fire devastated dozens of shops and buildings. A news agency shop was also gutted in the fire incident
The SDPO said that the losses are worth crores and apparently the cause of fire is short circuit. “We have registered a case and exact cause of the fire would be known after probe,” he said. A Government team had visited the spot to access the loss of property.
The fire damaged Khawaja News Agency, which was the first and only news agency in the border town. Established by veteran broadcaster Maqsood Ahmad in 1988, the agency’s all equipment was damaged in the fire.
Meanwhile, the locals alleged that there is only one fire service vehicle in entire Uri area and they had already sought few more tenders from authorities but the demand was not fulfilled, resulting into massive losses.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
