7 shops, residential house damaged in Handwara blaze

Srinagar : At least seven shops and a residential house were damaged after a devastating fire broke out at Qalamabad area of Handwara in north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district, resulting in loss to the properties worth lakhs of rupees.

An official told that the fire broke out from a residential house belonging to Ghulam Ahmed Najar and in no time engulfed a shopping complex—close to the central Jamia Masjid.

The fire-fighters as well police reached the spot soon after the fire broke out and doused the flames with the help of locals, officials said.

“There was no loss of life in the incident, however, property worth lakhs got damaged,” they said.

The actual cause of fire is being ascertained, a police official said.

Meanwhile, the locals urged the government to provide assistance to the fire affected families so that they could heave a sigh of relief—(KNO)