Anantnag: A massive blaze engulfed and gutted more than four structures, including at least three residential houses, Saturday afternoon here in the Kapran area of Verinag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. There has been no loss of life or injuries caused to anyone in the fire incident.
The incident took place in Yakerbolu Bala village of Kapran, at about 2:00 PM, Saturday afternoon. The cause of the fire is believed to have been a short circuit, but it could not be ascertained immediately.
Sources in the area told Kashmir Reader that seven structures, including four residential houses and three cowsheds, were completely gutted in the fire. “Besides, a mosque suffered partial damage while the blaze was being doused,” a local source said.
Official figures were a little different, however, with the concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Ghulam Rasool Wani, putting the number of damaged structures at just four.
“Three residential houses and a cowshed were damaged. A mosque suffered a little damage by the water cannons used to douse the fire,” Wani told Kashmir Reader. He added that a detailed stock of the damages has been taken by the concerned Tehsildar and relief will be distributed among the affected families on Monday.
“They will be given all the assistance they need,” Wani assured.
The locals told Kashmir Reader that the damage could have been minimized if their area had a Fire and Emergency Services Centre. “Leave alone a Centre, we do not even have a fire truck in our area. The nearest one is in Dooru, which is around 15 Kilometres from here,” the locals said.
The residents lamented that they have been highlighting the issue to the concerned authorities for a long time now but to no avail. “It takes a fire truck at least half an hour to reach our area, and you can imagine the damage that must have already been done by then,” the residents rue.
Wani acknowledged the complaints of the locals and said that the administration will also write to the concerned authorities. “The area has a huge catchment area and lacks a Fire and Emergency Services center can prove to be a disaster in the future,” Wani said.
He added that fire trucks were brought in from Dooru, Qazigund, and the Tunnel area during today’s fire incident. “For now, we have put a fire truck on standby in the village, in case the fire reappears. We will escalate the issue for sure,” he said.

Suhail A Shah