Dozens of fire incidents in Jammu region during Diwali celebration cause extensive damage to properties

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 09 (STC): At least 64 fire incidents broke out in Jammu region during Diwali celebrations, resulting in damage to several commercial centres, shops, godowns and other properties.
Fire and Emergency Services officials said on Monday that the maximum number of these incidents (30) were reported in Jammu district, while several fire incidents were reported in other districts as well.
According to officials, 11 of the 64 fire incidents were reported till 5 pm on Sunday, while the remaining 53 incidents occurred between 5 pm and 3 am. This was the time when Diwali celebrations were in full swing and crackers were being burst on a large scale in various areas.
The 30 incidents reported in Jammu district included a major fire at the historic Warehouse Nehru Market in the heart of the city, which engulfed several shops and caused extensive damage.
According to officials, a total of 10 fire incidents were reported in Samba and Kathua districts, including the incident that took place in Kathua District Police Lines.
Similarly, 9 were reported in Doda, 8 in Udhampur and Reasi, 3 in Kishtwar , 3 in Rajouri-Poonch region and one in Ramban.
According to the Fire and Emergency Services, at least four major and destructive fire incidents were reported in Jammu district. A major fire broke out in a five-storey commercial building in Pahari Mohalla, which housed clothing and footwear shops and a basement. The fire engulfed the entire building in no time and caused severe damage to the goods in the building.
Similarly, the third and fourth floors of a five-storey building in Shalimar area, which housed a medical store, were affected by the fire. A hardware warehouse in Gangyal was also hit by the fire. However, the most serious incident among the incidents that took place in the Jammu region on the night of Diwali took place in the Warehouse Nehru Market.
Warehouse Nehru Market is one of the oldest and important commercial centers of Jammu, where wholesale trade of food grains, edible oil, daily necessities and other essential goods is carried out.
According to officials, the fire allegedly started from a shop and spread very quickly to adjacent shops and other commercial establishments. The large quantity of edible oil present further increased the intensity of the fire. As soon as the information of the incident was received, fire tenders were dispatched to the spot from various fire stations of Jammu city. Firefighters started efforts to control the fire with the help of several teams. The close proximity of shops and warehouses in the market made it a major challenge to control the fire.
Officials said that on Diwali night, reports of a large number of fires breaking out in a short period of time were received from different areas of the Jammu region, due to which there was an extraordinary pressure on the Fire and Emergency Services personnel and fire tenders.
In view of the calls received simultaneously from multiple places, teams from different fire stations were mobilized and sent to the affected areas. Firefighters continued operations throughout the night and succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading further at several places.
Officials said that a large number of fire tenders and personnel were deployed in the affected areas, while the main focus was on preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings and other commercial centers and saving property from further damage.
(Straight Talk Communications I Inputs from NNB)