Srinagar, Jan 09: As many as 2754 fire incident cases were reported in Kashmir and Ladakh province for year 2018, wherein 64 lost their lives and left 11 injured, says Fire and Emergency Services Department records.
As per the official document from the department which is available with the Kashmir Monitor, highest number of fire incidents, were reported in Srinagar, while as the lowest incidents have been reported from Ladakh’s Kargil district.
According to the document, Srinagar district tops the list with 511 fire incidents, while as 27 such cases were reported from district Kargil.
“Baramulla witnessed 439 fire incidents, while as Kupwara saw 381 incidents. District Anantnag witnessed 287 fire incidents and Pulwama recorded 264 fire incidents,” revealed the figures of fire and emergency service department.
Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal and Budgam districts recorded 141 and 228 fire incidents respectively, while as south Kashmir’s Shopian recorded 142 fire incidents.
Leh recorded 42 fire incidents and.
Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Service (F&ES) department, Bashir Ahmed Shah while talking to this newspaper said that, “in 2754 fire incidents, property worth Rs 534.33 was involved.”
“Property worth Rs 67.02 crore got damaged, rest we were able to save,” Shah added.
Shah said that in the fire incidents around 1800 residential houses and cowsheds were damaged.“Besides, 346 shops were damaged.50 shopping complexes, 59 vehicles and 216 electric transformers were also damaged,” he said
“In the fire incidents, plant nurseries and forests also suffered huge damages,” he added.
To a question, he revealed that in winter’s majority of fire incidents result due to the short circuits.
“In winters people use number of electric gadgets, using them with care is essential. It has been seen that at times these gadgets develop a snag which leads to a short circuit,” he said.
11 shops gutted in Handwara blaze
Srinagar, Jan 09: A mysterious blaze that engulfed in the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday has turned about one dozen shops into ashes in main town Handwara in Kupwara district.
Reports said the fire broke out in the mid-night hours, people didn’t come out to douse the flames as the result of which about a dozen shops were gutted and people saw the shops reduced to ashes in the morning.
The officials later reached the spot to ascertain the facts about the cause of fire.
Meanwhile, Peoples Conference (PC) has announced a cash relief of Rs 20,000 for each one of the shops gutted in a devastating fire Tuesday night in Handwara main town.
A party spokesman said the party would offer cash relief of Rs 20,000 for each one of the shops gutted in the fire that broke out in the night intervening Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Lone has urged the Governor Satya Pal Malik to help the owners of the shopkeepers to rebuild their shops.
In a tweet Lone said “11 shops burnt in Handwara market. In touch with DC Kupwara for speedy governmental aid. Appeal to @jandkgovernor for help to the shopkeepers. M a witness how they worked hard to get this space alloted.” (KNS)
