Jammu: As many as 64 fire incidents were reported across Jammu region during the Diwali celebrations, causing extensive damage to commercial properties and other assets, officials said on Monday.
Jammu district accounted for the highest number of 30 incidents, including at the historic Warehouse Nehru Market in the heart of the city, the officials of the Fire and Emergency Services said.
Of the 64 incidents, 11 were reported till 5 pm on Sunday, while the remaining 53 occurred between 5 pm and 3 am, coinciding with Diwali celebrations and widespread bursting of firecrackers, officials said.
Samba and Kathua districts together recorded 10 incidents, including the one at district police lines Kathua followed by Doda nine, Udhampur and Reasi eight and Kishtwar district three, Rajouri-Poonch belt three and Ramban one, the officials said.
Among the major incidents, four devastating fires were reported in Jammu district, including one at Pahari Mohalla, where a five-storey commercial building housing cloth, footwear shops and a basement was gutted.
Another major blaze broke out at Shalimar, damaging a third and fourth floor of a five-storey medical store building, while a hardware godown at Gangyal was also affected, the officials said.
They said the most devastating incident, however, was reported at the Warehouse Nehru Market, where a massive fire broke out around 9.15 pm on Sunday night, engulfing several shops.
The market, one of the oldest commercial hubs of Jammu, is known for its wholesale trade in foodgrains, edible oil, essential commodities and other daily-use items.
Officials said the fire reportedly originated in one of the shops and spread rapidly to adjoining establishments, with the presence of large quantities of edible oil adding to the intensity of the blaze.
Fire tenders from different stations across Jammu city were rushed to the spot, and firefighters launched a coordinated operation to contain the flames. The closely packed shops and warehouses posed a major challenge to the firefighting teams which managed to put off the fire by midnight, the officials said.
They said two fire tenders are still at the scene and a detailed report about the damage was awaited.
However, Warehouse Association President Deepak Gupta alleged that a delayed response by the Fire and Emergency Services Department allowed the blaze to spread.
“What started as a small fire has engulfed around 15 shops…this is a complete failure and gross negligence on the part of the fire brigade. Despite the fire station being barely five minutes away, only two fire engines arrived after an hour and a half,” he alleged.
He demanded accountability for the delay, including the suspension of officials concerned. He also threatened an indefinite strike if the demand was not met.
However, officials maintained that the fire call was attended to at the earliest possible, with two fire tenders from the nearest station immediately rushed to the spot, while additional fire tenders were mobilised from other stations to support the firefighting operation.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel were hard-pressed to respond to the large number of fire incidents reported simultaneously at different locations across the Jammu region during Diwali night, they said.
With multiple calls being received within a short span, the officials said firefighting teams were mobilised from various stations and rushed to the affected areas to contain the blazes and prevent them from spreading to adjoining structures.
They said despite the challenging circumstances, firefighters responded promptly and worked through the night to bring several fires under control.
The officials said personnel and fire tenders were deployed in large numbers at the affected locations, while efforts were made to minimise further damage to property and prevent the fires from spreading to neighbouring establishments.
