Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 4: More than a dozen shops and houses were gutted in a massive fire that broke out last night at congested Ganikhan market of city centre, resulting in losses worth crores of rupees.
A top official of Fire and Emergency Services Department told Excelsior that they received the fire call at around 11 pm and 16 fire tenders from various stations of the city were rushed to the inferno spot.
He said being highly congested the firemen faced huge difficulties while dousing the blaze and after more than three hours the fire was doused. “The fire fighting operation was very difficult due to various reasons including intervention by mischievous elements and blocked access ways to Jhelum river,” he said.
The official said: “The access ways to Jhelum river have been blocked by one or other way. The personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bunker at Hanuman Mandir have also blocked traditional access ways to the Jhelum and as a result we faced lot of difficulties.”
He said the massive blaze gutted 13 shops, one five storey, 2-three storey and one double storey houses. The official further said that six other shops have been partially damaged and added that this is a third serious fire incident in the area during past several years.
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