Fire damages portion of Mosque in old city
Several other structures also suffer damages
Srinagar: A mosque also housing a seminary besides two residential houses and several other shops and offices were damaged in a blaze that started on Tuesday morning in Akalmir locality in Khanyar area of Srinagar city.
Eyewitnesses said that soon after the fire broke out, locals rushed to the spot to bring the flames under control. However, the raging flames could not be controlled with limited resources available with them. The flames spread fast causing substantial damage to several structures, they said.
The fire according to them damaged the portion of the mosque, a seminary Madrasa Misba-ur-Rashid besides a residential house and several shops and some offices.
Alleging the F&ES of a sloppy approach, they said that despite timely intimation, the fire service men reached the spot late.
“Had they reached on time, the damage could have been averted,” locals said.
Meanwhile Deputy Director Fire and Emergency Services Bashir Ahmad Shah said that it became somewhat difficult to contain the fire owing to a congested area besides the houses were built of wood.
“We had sent some ten to twelve vehicles of fire squad for rescue, however with many houses mainly built of wood and congestion in space, it became difficult to contain the fire”, the official said.
“Upper portion of a mosque and a residential house received damage in the mishap”, he said adding the water used to douse off the flames may have caused damage to the shops.”
Two members of our fire squad also received minor injuries, however all of them are out of danger, he said identifying the duo as Sajad Ahmad and Rafiq Ahmad.
When asked about the cause of fire, Deputy Director said that it primarily seems an accidental case and that they are ascertaining the actual cause of fire.
Meanwhile an official said that two residential houses, a local mosque besides a commercial building with five rooms were damaged in the fire mishap. There was an advocate chamber, an electronic shop in the commercial building which were damaged in the mishap.
Meanwhile, locals said that the structure housing the offices had earlier been damaged during a minor fire incident some years back. (with inputs from GNS)
KV News
