KASHMIR NEWS TRUST #KNT
A residential house and 7 shops were gutted in a fire incident in Kalamabad Mawar village of North Kashmir’s Handwara area on Wednesday afternoon, while the dome of the nearby Jama Masjid was slightly damaged.
Police sources said that a fire broke out in the house of one Ghulam Ahmed Najar that engulfed a shopping complex adjacent to the house.
They said that firefighters started an operation to control the fire with the help of police, soldiers from 30 Rashtriya Rifles and local people.
At least 7 shops including the two-storey house was gutted in the incident while during the rescue operation, two civilians and a policeman sustained injuries. The dome of a Jamia Masjid Qalamabad was partially damaged in the fire incident.
Four grocery shops, two hardware stores, and the shop of a tailor were gutted.
Police sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that property worth lakhs was damaged.
Prima facie, a short circuit is attributed as the cause of the fire, however, police have registered a case and started an investigation.
Chairman Jamia Masjid Kalamabad Abdul Gani Rishi while thanking the firefighters, locals, police, and soldiers for their efforts saying that their timely action prevented the fire from spreading further. However, some members of the Masjid Committee alleged that fire-tenders didn’t reach the spot in time which led to the escalation of the fire. [KNT]
