Several youth injured during fire fighting operation, Intizamia Committee Old town appeals for help for fire victims
Bank Account for fire victims: Khalid Jan for Fire Victims 0637040100005326
Reyaz Rashid/ Inayat Qayoom
Baramulla: At least twenty-nine families were rendered homeless after seventeen residential houses were completely were damaged and goods worth Corers of rupees got reduced to ashes by devastating fire which broke out in Mohalla Jalal Shab RA in old town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on late last evening and continued on Tuesday .Eyewitness said that fire broke out from a double story residential house which spread to nearby houses in a jiffy in which twenty-nine residential houses were completely gutted leaving 29 families homeless.“As we saw huge flames coming out of a double residential house, we rushed towards it to extinguish the fire but it went out of control and engulfed all neighbouring houses in a very short span of time. We called fire service department, Army and police,” said Saqib Ahmad added“The massive fire destroyed seventeen residential houses and several other structures. Deadly fire left us helpless and we lost everything. We have no other source of income and appeal Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Commissioner Baramulla for immediate relief and rehabilitation,” he added.“We have suffered massive damage as all goods and belongings were destroyed and property worth crores was reduced to rubble,” said Shahid Hamid Najar.Later, the fire was extinguished after strenuous efforts of police, Army fire and emergency department and army which jointly carried out the fire fighting operations.A police officer said that due narrow lanes, fire tenders were finding it difficult to reach the spot directly.“Police, Army and civil administration is on job. Since its congested area, creating a little trouble for vehicle to reach the spot”, he added.The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. The locals said that the cause of fire was not known as it spread fast leaving no time to salvage the belongings which were reduced to ashes.Soon after the people saw the fire they informed the fire and emergency station Baramulla which acted swiftly and with the help of local youth tried their best to douse the fire.Keeping in view the intensity of the fire, the fire engines from nearby places of the district were immediately called to the spot who joined the fire fight process.Despite efforts by the fire department and local youth, nine structures got razed rendering 21 families homeless.However, an official of fire and emergency department said that the cause of fire may be the gas leakage as we are ascertaining facts behind this massive fire.The efforts were on to prevent further spread of fire, while no loss of human life was reported when this report was filed.Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of North Kashmir, Maqsood-ul-Zamaan, along with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla, Minga Sherpa, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Gurinderpal Singh, visited Mohalla Jala Sahib in Old Town Baramulla to assess the devastation caused by a massive fire.During the visit, the officers personally interacted with the affected families, acknowledging the gravity of their losses and assured them of the administration’s full support.The DC distributed ₹10.60 lakh from the Red Cross Fund to the affected families as an initial relief measure to help them address their most immediate needs as they begin to recover from the tragedy.The DC also assured the affected families that additional financial aid will be provided under SDRF norms and directed the Tehsildar Baramulla to complete the necessary formalities for further assistance within 2 to 3 days. To ensure swift rehabilitation, the DC directed the Executive Officer, Municipal Council Baramulla to arrange temporary accommodation for the displaced families. Additionally, the Assistant Director of Food was instructed to provide one month of free ration to all affected families.