Masjid, wood processing unit among 4 structures damaged in Khanyar blaze

Srinagar : A fire incident has damaged a local masjid, along with three nearby structures including a wood processing unit in Khanyar area of Srinagar, officials said on Friday.
Sharing details about the fire incident, a senior official from the Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Srinagar said that the fire call was received at 3:29 PM today, and soon the Fire and Emergency Department personnel, along with machinery, rushed to the spot.
He said that about four structures in total were engulfed by the flames, including the mosque, wood processing unit and fire tenders from over 10 stations were pressed into service to bring the situation under control.
He added that the firefighters managed to control the blaze within one hour, preventing further escalation. Meanwhile, though the destruction has left many residents in shock, locals from the area said the fire first erupted at the masjid, which quickly spread to nearby residential houses.
Locals described the terrifying moments, saying, as they came out of the masjid after prayers, they saw smoke coming from the masjid and immediately informed the fire and emergency services, along with others.
A local from the area said, “Our house, our memories, everything is gone. We had no time to save anything. The flames took everything from us. We are left with nothing but ash and a damaged house,” the fire affected family member said.
Similarly, an elderly local from the area said, “The masjid, our homes, all destroyed in minutes. This is a day we will never forget. We are grateful that no lives were lost, but our dreams and homes have been lost in just minutes.”
Meanwhile, Fire and Emergency Department officials said the exact cause of the fire is under investigation