Srinagar: A mosque, several shops and houses were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in the downtown area here on Monday, officials said.
They said a massive fire broke out from Bazaar Masjid Bohri Kadal, Srinagar, and in no time spread to nearby residential houses and commercial complexes.
Besides the mosque, several other buildings, including a commercial complex and residences, were destroyed in the fire in the congested Bohri Kadal locality, the officials said.
They said local people and fire brigade personnel doused off the blaze, the exact cause of the which be ascertained.
Several months ago, the fire had damaged the same masjid. Locals said that in the previous incident, only the top story of the masjid had been gutted in the incident, but this time all three stories of the religious place suffered complete damage.
A fire official said that an officer from their department sustained injuries. He was shifted to the hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.
Local sources said that at least seven houses and around 20 shops were gutted in the inferno. The loss is estimated in crores of rupees.
Meanwhile, administration in a statement said that as soon the news regarding fire incident at Bohri Kadal area of Shahr-e-Khaas of the District was reported, the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat today rushed to the site and personally monitored the rescue operation and fire extinguishing response by firefighters to mitigate the damage.
SSP Srinagar, Aashish Mishra and other senior officers of District Administration accompanied the DC at the spot.
On the occasion, the DC expressed solidarity and sympathy with the fire affected families and assured to provide immediate assistance to them. He directed staff to be available and provide all necessary help to the fire affected families.
The DC said that fire tenders were immediately pushed in action soon after the fire erupted in a building at Bohri Kadal to control the fire from spreading to other structures and protect human lives.
He instructed the concerned to assess the damage caused to the structures and provide immediate assistance to the victims of the fire incident.
While expressing shock over the damage, he assured that the District Administration will provide all the help to the affected families.

KR Desk