 S TAHIR-UL HAQ
Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, June 11: On the intervening night of Thursday-Friday, at around 9:15 pm, a devastating fire engulfed 13 houses in a jiffy and rendered 30 families homeless in Sheikh Mohalla in Noorbagh area of this North Kashmir district. All the houses were reduced to ashes.
A local resident whose house has also been damaged said that it was around 9:15 pm in the evening when fire started from the house of Shahbaz Sheikh. “People had gone to the mosque to offer Isha prayers,” said Haider Ahmad Sheikh of Sheikh Mohalla Noorbagh.
“We don’t know the cause of fire, but most probably it might be a short circuit due to which fire spread to other houses in a jiffy, it took only three minutes when fire engulfed several houses, almost twenty gas cylinders burst before the blaze was controlled,” Haider said.
The locals said that the fire started due to leakage of LPG gas from a residential house and engulfed several others in the vicinity in no time.
Dozens of gas cylinders are said to have burst before the blaze was eventually controlled as nine fire tenders from the Fire and Emergency department besides two from the army were pressed into service.
Almost thirteen houses were damaged including of Akram Sheikh, Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh, Shahbaz Sheikh, Shahnaz Sheikh, Haneef Sheikh, Jaan Bi Begum, Javid Sheikh, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, Haider Sheikh, Muzaffar Sheikh, Manzoor Sheikh, Bashir Sheikh, and Dilshad Sheikh of Sheikh colony Noorbagh Baramulla.
Fire tenders were called in from different places to douse the fire; intensity of the fire was such that the locals from Ushkara, Khanpora, Sangri and other adjacent areas came to help in dousing the fire.
However Deputy Director Fire and Emergency Department Baramulla Abdul Khaliq said that they received a call at 9:40 pm from Noorbagh area and three fire tenders were dispatched and one from Old town Baramulla to the spot to douse the fire.
He said that, two fire tenders were called from Sopore, one from Sangrama, one each from Dangiwacha and Rohama were pressed into service.
“Basically there is a conjunction and wind factor gave a tough job and almost 20-22 gas cylinders burst that was the main reason due to which fire spread to other houses.”
Even though our men were injured, despite that locals, the district administration, police and army helped in dousing the fire, however no casualty was reported, said Khaliq.
Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Bhupinder Kumar said that, under Red Cross scheme Rs. 50,000 were given to each affected household whose houses got damaged during the intervening night of June 10-11, besides that, the tents, blankets, ration for one month was given.
Temporary shelters are being given to the affected families, all the possible help under various schemes will be given to them in the shortest time, Advisor to LG, Baseer Khan and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir also visited Baramulla and met the affected families. |
