Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Fire and Emergency Services, Jammu and Kashmir, responded to an exceptionally high number of fire emergencies during the last 24 hours, attending 60 incidents across Jammu Province, including 35 in Jammu district alone.
Of particular concern were 16 fire incidents reported in Jammu district within approximately five hours from 7 pm on November 8, during the Diwali celebrations. Several of these involved major emergencies at different locations, requiring simultaneous deployment of firefighting personnel, vehicles and equipment.
According to the department, advance arrangements had been made for the festival, with fire tenders stationed at strategic locations, including Gole Market, Gandhi Nagar and Gangyal, to ensure a prompt response. Regular fire stations also remained operational throughout the period.
One of the major incidents was reported at 8:37 pm at a five-storeyed residential-cum-commercial building in Pahari Mohalla. Four fire tenders from Gandhi Nagar Fire Station and two from City Fire Station were immediately mobilised. The City Fire Station vehicles reached the location at 8:44 pm. Additional resources were subsequently deployed, taking the total number of fire tenders engaged in the operation to seven.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 45 minutes, followed by cooling operations.
Another major emergency was reported at 9:18 pm at a warehouse-cum-shopping complex storing grocery and ration items, including cooking oil and ghee. The department mobilised 18 fire tenders from different fire stations and strategically positioned locations, including Gole Market, Gandhi Nagar and Gangyal.
CCTV footage from a Smart City camera installed at Asian Hotel Crossing showed fire tenders proceeding towards the site at 9:38 pm. Three additional fire tenders reached the location approximately ten minutes later.
The fire was brought under control in around one and a half hours, after which cooling operations were carried out to prevent its recurrence. Approximately seven shops sustained damage, while several adjoining shops were saved. Police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the District Administration assisted in the operation.
At 10:28 pm, another fire broke out at a marriage tent in Garden Estate. Four fire tenders from the nearest available locations were immediately dispatched and reached the site within seven to eight minutes. An additional vehicle from Bari Brahmana Fire Station was sent as reinforcement. The blaze was brought under control in approximately 30 minutes, followed by cooling operations.
Later, at 11:40 pm, a fire was reported on the third floor of a four-storeyed building housing Janta Medical Store at Shalimar. Fire tenders from City Fire Station and other locations were mobilised. The first vehicle reached the spot at 11:46 pm, followed by additional units, taking the total deployment to five fire tenders. The fire was brought under control in approximately half an hour.
The department said that despite the unusually high number of incidents and multiple major emergencies occurring within a short span, its personnel responded to all reported calls. Coordinated efforts by Fire and Emergency Services, Police, SDRF and the District Administration helped contain the fires and prevent further damage.
Responding to social media reports alleging that Fire and Emergency Services took around one and a half hours to reach the warehouse fire, the department said the claim had been examined against official deployment records and available CCTV footage.
It stated that the emergency call was received at 9:18 pm, while footage from the Asian Hotel Crossing camera showed fire tenders proceeding towards the location at 9:38 pm. Three additional vehicles reportedly reached the site approximately ten minutes later.
The department maintained that the available records did not substantiate the allegation of a one-and-a-half-hour delay in the arrival of firefighting teams.
