Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 14: A residential house with two rooms was damaged today in an overnight blaze that ravaged Mir Behri area of Rainawari.
Eye witnesses reported that the fire broke out around 1 am on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday, swiftly destroying everything.
“At around 1 am, we heard screams, prompting us to come out only to witness the house engulfed in flames. The family members have been left with nothing, not even clothes,” said one of the residents, Abid Hussain.
The house, damaged in the blaze, belongs to Ghulam Mustafa Latoo, annihilating the family’s savings in the form of gold and cash.
“We managed to extinguish the flames on our own; like others, we did not call the fire tenders because there is no local facility, and the fire tenders cannot reach here. The neighbours came and rescued us, preventing the fire from spreading further,” said Fida Hussain.
It is noteworthy that the entire area of Mir Behri, essentially an interior area of Dal Lake, lacks any Fire and Emergency Services facility. There are no stations, and there is no possibility for the entry of such vehicles, leaving the residents to fend for themselves.
The area has a population of nearly 60,000, comprising 38 muhallas, yet the authorities have failed to establish a local fire station for emergency response.
“We have been appealing to the authorities to set up something that could be of use during fire emergencies, but to no avail,” the residents said.
The locals were promised mobile fire tenders to be deployed in the area for use in emergencies; however, nothing has been done so far.
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