Kulgam, Jul 13: A devastating fire engulfed a residential house in the Yarikha area of Damhal Hanjipora on Thursday morning, leaving the structure severely damaged.
The local residents said the firefighting authorities faced insurmountable challenges as their vehicle was unable to reach the spot due to an unrepaired road that was damaged by a landslide in February this year.
On February 23, 2023, the main road at Shalimch Yarikha was damaged by landslides, and it wasn’t repaired to the point where a fire truck or an emergency vehicle could pass, said Javaid Ahmad, a local, adding, “Today, firefighters and locals doused the fire with buckets of water, leaving the house severely damaged as the fire tender couldn’t reach the spot.”
The residential house of Ghulam Mohammad Hajam, son of Abdul Aziz Hajam, caught fire in the early hours of Thursday.
According to a Fire and Emergency official, the firefighting vehicle was unable to advance from the location where the road had been damaged owing to landslides. “We came to a halt about two kilometers away from the fire incident. The firefighters proceeded on foot and, along with locals, doused the fire with water buckets,” he said.
The official said the first storey of the structure was partially gutted, besides the doors and windows. “A two-storey pucca house owned by Ghulam Mohammad Hajam was damaged in the fire. According to preliminary estimates, property worth 4 lakh rupees was damaged, and the total loss is roughly Rs 10 lakh,” he said.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Executive Engineer Ishfaq Ahmad told Rising Kashmir that they have already filed the road repair case to the authorities for clearance. “We received administrative approval for the road damaged by landslides in Yarikha today, and we will process it further for technical sanction,” he said.
The engineer said the restoration work at the damaged location will hopefully be processed and put up for tendering in a short amount of time.
