BANIHAL, Aug 8 (Agencies): Two residential houses were gutted in a devastating fire that broke out in the Akhran area of Khari tehsil in Ramban district on Saturday morning, leaving two poor families with heavy losses.
The houses belonging to Fareed Ahmed Qazi, son of Ghulam Qazi Gujjar, and Shabir Ahmed Gujjar, son of Noor Mohammad Gujjar, both residents of Akhran, were engulfed in flames.
Locals said the fire initially went out of control as Akhran is located far from the main road, making it difficult to bring firefighting equipment to the spot.
Local residents joined efforts to douse the flames using water pots, but their efforts proved insufficient due to the intensity of the fire. The firefighting operation was further hampered by a shortage of water, as the existing water supply line in the area had already been disconnected.
Khari tehsil also lacks a Fire and Emergency Services station, a facility that residents have been demanding for more than two decades.
Fayaz Ahmed Surukh, a local resident, said rainfall in the area later helped bring the fire under control. However, by then, the blaze had caused extensive damage to the houses and belongings of the two families.
Meanwhile, SHO Banihal Ashiq Hussain Lone said police teams and QRT Khari volunteers had been rushed to the spot. He said the Akhran area is situated on a hilltop in a far-flung location and lacks proper road connectivity.
The SHO said all family members were safe and unharmed.