Srinagar: Eight residential houses were damaged in a devastating fire that broke out in the densely populated Shaheed Gunj area in the heart of the city on Saturday.
Officials of the Fire and Emergency Department said that they received a distress call at 6:07 AM, and within minutes, teams were dispatched to the scene.
They said the fire had already spread across several homes by the time the first responders arrived. “Despite the swift response, the flames engulfed eight residential houses, causing significant damage before additional reinforcements were sent to contain the fire,” an official said.
Additionally, eyewitnesses said that victims tried their best to save whatever they could. “We woke up to loud screams and saw flames rising high. There was no time to react; we just ran out with our families,” said one of the affected residents.
The inferno left many families homeless, a victim said, “We have lost everything—our savings, our documents, our belongings. We don’t know what to do now.”
Meanwhile, firefighters, assisted by Station House Officer Shaheed Gunj and personnel from the 49 BN CRPF, battled the flames for several hours to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent structures. Officials confirmed that while there were no casualties, property worth crores was destroyed.
Pertinently, authorities are yet to determine the exact cause of the fire, though preliminary reports suggest a possible electrical short circuit led to the inferno. “A full investigation is underway to confirm the cause,” said an official.
Meanwhile, MLA Lal Chowk Ahsan Pardesi also visited the affected families and assured them of the possible support
