Gurez: At least five residential houses were gutted in a massive fire in Tulail Valley of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district late last night, officials said on Tuesday.
Sub divisional magistrate Gurez, Mudasir Ahmad told KNO that five houses were gutted in a massive fire in Grat-Nallah village of Tulail.
He said that the fire erupted from one of the residential houses and engulfed the surrounding houses within no time. “The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. There was, however, no loss of human life in the incident,” he said.
Notably, the Gurez valley has two fire stations in Gurez, one located in Gurez and the other in Tulail valley and people allege that they they are not able to act on time due to lack of manpower.
A fire and emergency official said that the houses in Gurez are mostly made up of wood due to the abundance of timber in the region. “While wooden houses have their own rustic charm, they are also more prone to fires. The dry and windy climate of the area further exacerbates the risk of fires,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the lack of proper fire fighting facilities in this remote area means that fires can quickly become uncontrollable and cause severe damage. Therefore, it is crucial for the residents of Gurez to take preventive measures such as installing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers to reduce the likelihood of a fire breaking out and to be prepared in case of emergencies,” he added.
