Baramulla: Three residential houses and several shops were gutted and property worth lakhs of rupees was reduced to ashes when fire broke out during midnight at Ganai Hamam Mohalla in old town Baramulla.
Witnesses said fire broke out from a bakery shop located in the ground floor of a residential house belonging to Abdul Gaffar Khosa of Ganai Hamam in old town Baramulla and flames engulfed the double story house in jiffy and destroyed it completely.
“As we saw fire flames engulfing the residential house, we immediately rushed to rescue the family inmates and started firefighting operation. We immediately called fire service and fire tenders reached immediately to join us in the fire fighting,” they added.
The fire spread to adjacent house in which three families reside and property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed in the fire and six hops in the ground floor also were gutted in the inferno.
The joint house of Ishfaq Ahmad Kaloo, Abdul Ahad Kaloo, Parvaiz Ahmed Kaloo was damaged and they have lost everything in the fire.
“The devastating fire left five families homeless in this harsh winter. We have lost everything in the fire and even clothes. Our children are shivering we need immediate help from government,” said Ishfaq Ahmad Kaloo, head of an affected family.
Fire Station Officer Irshad Ahmed Shah while talking to Kashmir Images on phone said, “We reached immediately after receiving the call but due to narrow approach to the locality, fire tenders took some time to reach the spot. However, we controlled the fire immediately and saved the congested locality from further damage.”
“Our fire man Mohammad Lateef was injured in the firefighting operation as it was snowing and raining continuously till we doused the flames,” he added.
