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Massive fire engulfs shopping complex in Srinagar, 10 shops gutted
No casualty reported in the fire at the Dargah Hazratbal, Srinagar, right opposite the Sir Syed Gate of the the Kashmir University; 10-12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse flames
Three shopping complexes and five residential houses were damaged after a major fire broke out in the busy area near the Kashmir University on Monday.
Sharing details about the incident, officials said the blaze erupted from a restaurant at the Dargah Hazratbal right opposite the Sir Syed Gate of the varsity.
The neighbourhood is a hub of activity and hosts a chain of shopping complexes housing restaurants, bakeries, bookstores and other shops.
Nearly 10 shops including two restaurants and a salon in the shopping complex were gutted in the fire. A few houses located on the back side of the complex also sustained major damage.
Addressing the damages, Hazratbal tehsildar Qaisar Malik said eight structures were damaged in the fire.
“Top floors of five residential houses and the upper blocks of three commercial complexes were damaged in the fire. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident,” he added.
The tehsildar said the absence of space between the structures exacerbated the fire, which spread across quickly. “The fire has started from a restaurant. It was not yet clear how the blaze started,” he said.
Around 10-12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.
“The fire was controlled promptly, otherwise the damage would have been much more severe,” an official said, adding that the shops in the first and ground floors were also damaged due to the water. “The water seeps into the structures and the goods,” he said.
Soon after the incident, the administration said they would provide relief to those whose houses and shops were gutted in the incident from the Red Cross after taking stock of the damages.
“We will be making a complete assessment of the loss in due course,” the tehsildar said.
Blaze at heritage property near Shimla’s Advanced Studies
No loss of life has been reported in the blaze, which broke out at 2 am, as per officials. The first floor of the house was completely gutted in the blaze.
The building, Burj Cottage, had been allotted to the superintendent of police (SP), chief minister’s security, Shiv Kumar. The official had yet not shifted to the official residence as the building renovation work was underway in the cottage.
As per the action taken report of State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the fire was triggered due to a short circuit. Locals noticed the blaze around 2 am and informed the department, following which three fire tenders were rushed to the spot from Boileauganj, Mall Road and Chotta Shimla.
The flame was doused after three-hour operations.
Burj Cottage is a British era house which received princes of India when they came to call on the Viceroy at Peterhof. Later, the building became the residence of the surgeon to the Viceroy.
