Devastating fire in Handwara’s Punzwa destroys 4 houses; 5 families affected
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By Aatif Qayoom
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23 Sep 2025
Authorities assure investigation, relief
Handwara, Sept 23: A devastating fire broke out during the night in Punzwa village of Tarathpora, Handwara, leaving five families affected and four residential houses completely damaged. Several cowsheds and walnut trees were also destroyed in the incident.
Locals said the fire started suddenly in one of the houses and spread quickly to nearby structures. Despite the scale of the blaze, no loss of human life was reported. Fire tenders, police, and villagers worked through the night to bring the flames under control and prevent further spread.
The family of Mohmad Jamal, son of Wali Mohammad, lost their two-storied house. Another two-storeyed house belonging to Abdul Rashid Teli, son of Habibullah Teli, was also gutted. The family of Ghulam Qadir Bhat, son of Abdul Aziz Bhat, suffered the biggest loss, with two houses reduced to ashes, one single-storeyed and one double-storeyed.
Other structures belonging to nearby families were also destroyed. The family of Mohmad Ramzan Mir, son of Khazir Mohammad Mir, lost a cowshed and another structure. The family of Abdul Rehman Mir, son of Khazir Mohammad Mir, lost a cowshed and two walnut trees.
The affected families alleged that firefighters could not reach the spot on time, which worsened the damage. They said it took the fire tenders a very long time to arrive.
Reacting to the allegations, fire and emergency officials said the road to the area was too narrow and the alternative route was blocked with construction material. They added that if the road had been clear, the damage could have been minimised. Officials urged people not to dump construction material on the roadside.
One of the victims said their family had recently taken a housing loan of Rs 30 lakhs, but the blaze destroyed everything in a few hours. They said they were left only with the clothes they were wearing at the time.
Another family said they had married two years back and lost gold worth Rs 7 lakhs and other valuables worth lakhs in the incident.
Relatives and locals have appealed to the administration to rehabilitate the families ahead of the harsh winter.
MLA Langate Shiekh Khursheed also visited the affected families, expressed sympathy with them, and assured them that he would take up the matter with the administration.
Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Locals reported that the flames spread so quickly that families had little time to save their belongings.
The incident has caused major economic loss, with families losing homes and valuables built over years of savings and effort. Authorities have assured that the cause of the fire will be ascertained and necessary relief measures will be considered.
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