Srinagar, Dec. 17: The Srinagar Police have warned shopkeepers in the city to avoid selling duplicate heating appliances, which according to the police is the reason for the rise of fire incidents.
The development comes after Srinagar city witnessed a steep rise in fire incidents, and dozens of structures were gutted in recent fires at different locations in Srinagar.
The Srinagar police have also advised residents to keep safety equipment in hand and to use only genuine heating appliances.
“There are many incidents of fire being reported in Srinagar district daily. Citizens are advised to keep basic fire safety equipment handy & also to only use authentic heating appliances. Legal action will be taken as per law against shopkeepers selling fake & duplicate equipment.” Police said in a tweet.
As per the fire and emergency department in Kashmir, from 1 January to 30 November, as many as 359 structures were gutted, and five people also died related to fire incidents.
As per the data available with Rising Kashmir, in this current year, the fire and emergency department in Srinagar has reported 472 fire calls, among which 359 structures were gutted, as were 30 shops and 10 shopping complexes; similarly, 12 vehicles, 47 electricity transformers, and property worth Rs 54969.82 lakhs were gutted in fire-related incidents.
According to the department, Srinagar city has the highest number of fire incidents; they said the majority of the fire incidents are reported in congested areas of the city and quickly spread to nearby houses.
According to the F&E department, the majority of fires are caused by short circuits caused by people leaving their heating devices unattended during the night.
Last year, the Srinagar district also topped this list, and more than 300 structures were gutted due to fire incidents.
According to a top fire and emergency official, people are using crude heating devices that consume so much electricity that the electricity wire can’t handle it, causing the wire to heat up and catch fire.
“Unless people stop leaving their gadgets unattended, fire incidents will be reported; people must behave responsibly to protect themselves and their property,” said the officer.
