Srinagar: At least 22 houses were gutted and four persons were injured in a massive fire in Gata Colony in Noorbagh area of Srinagar district during the preceding night, officials said on Thursday.
Witnesses told ‘Kashmir Images’ that property worth crores was damaged in a midnight blaze at Gatta Colony in Noorbagh. They also said that four persons including a firefighter suffered burn injuries while dousing off the flames.
They said the fire broke out at around 1 am possibly due to the short-circuit in one of the houses, and engulfed other adjacent structures within no time, destroying 22 structures.
“It was around 1 am when we noticed flames emanating from one of the houses. We immediately called Fire and Emergency Service for help while locals also came out to try and douse the fire,” Showkat Ahmad Mir, a local resident said.
Eleven single-storey houses, 10 double-storey house and one 3-storey structure were damaged in the blaze, an official said.
He said that three persons—Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh, Tahir Ahmad Sheikh and Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh—besides a firefighter received were injured in the incident and were hospitalized.
A total of 33 families were residing in these houses and have been rendered shelter-less in the devastating blaze, officials said.
The locals have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor administration to announce relief for the victims who lost everything to the blaze.
“We appeal to the LG and the district administration to provide some compensation to the victims so that they could overcome the losses they suffered and rebuild their gutted houses,” locals appealed.
Officials said preliminary investigation suggests that the fire erupted due to short-circuit but a detailed inquiry is underway to conclude the reasons behind the fire, an official added.
Meanwhile, two houses were also damaged in another fire incident in the Rajouri Kadal area of the city late last night, the officials said.
