Anantnag, July 02: A massive fire incident in south Kashmir’s Anantnag town has caused extensive damage to several houses and shops, leaving families in despair.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a local, said that the fire occurred at Mehman Mohalla, adjacent to the business hub Lal Chowk.
“Approximately ten houses and shops were damaged, with some sustaining severe damage,” he said, adding that the area, known as one of the prime business locations, saw significant losses for shopkeepers.
“The area had shops selling gold, medical supplies, wholesale goods, and books, all of which were severely damaged in the fire. We request the administration to implement rehabilitation efforts to help them regain hope,” he added.
Ahmad said the cause of the fire is unknown. The fire broke out in the dead of night, around 2 to 3 am last night.
Sajad Ahmad, Tehsildar Anantnag, told Rising Kashmir that the fire broke out at night in Mehman Mohalla. They have conducted a preliminary assessment according to SDRF norms and submitted their report to the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag.
He said four residential houses and six commercial structures, including shops, were damaged in the blaze.
A Fire & Emergency Services official said that eleven residential houses—five double-storey kacha and six three-storey pacca structures with seven shops on the ground floor and two godowns on the first and second floor—were involved in the fire.
Giving details, he said, “One three-story commercial building owned by local auqaf, which had three shops on the ground floor, was also affected. The roofs, including the attic portions of all structures and the upper stories of the five double-storey houses along with household goods, were severely damaged. The upper stories of the six three-story houses and the commercial building, along with household goods, were partially damaged.”
The official said that the Fire & Emergency Services from various locations were involved were deployed to control the fire and minimise the damage.
“Two officials, Imtiyaz Ahmad and Khursheed Ahmad Wani were injured during firefighting efforts and were shifted to District Hospital Anantnag for treatment,” he added.
