Police here said that a devastating fire broke out in Chag, Gandhari Paddar around midnight. \u201cAround 23 houses are reportedly gutted in fire and a huge loss of property is also reported,\u201d they said. \u201cIt is a hilly and remote area and the fire tenders cannot be pressed into service to douse the wildfire,\u201d they said, adding that locals and police teams took hours to control the blaze and finally succeeded in dousing the flames but teams still were on job for the cooling process.<\/p>\n
Apni Party General Secretary and Ex-MLC Syed Asgar Ali expressed shock over the tragic fire incident. Ali demanded immediate rescue operations and rehabilitation of over 23 families who were left homeless.<\/p>\n
He said that the civil administration should immediately send relief materials, rations, and medical aid for the families who have suffered due to the fire and demanded that proper assessment of damages to property and livestock and cattle be made. He said: \u201cThere is no road connectivity to the place where the residential houses have been gutted and hence, the authorities should propose the construction of a road to the village and other remote areas so that in case of such an incident immediate response teams are sent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Army and police personnel along with the locals carried out an operation to douse the fire.\u00a0 By the time the blaze was extinguished, 15 homes were gutted and 23 families were affected. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir’s Peoples Democratic Party took to Twitter and wrote, “Pained to hear that 20 residential houses have been gutted in an inferno at Padder, Kishtwar. Rising cases of fires across J&K have been a constant source of concern. Since winter is on the anvil, urge admin to rehabilitate & compensate the victims expeditiously.”<\/p>\n