A fire incident at Drabgam in Pulwama on Sunday evening caused damage to a double-storied residential house and the rooftop portion of a nearby Jamia Masjid, officials said.
According to Fire & Emergency Services, the District Fire Control Room received a fire call at around 5:18 pm, following which a fire tender from Fire Station Drabgam was immediately dispatched to the spot. As the Jamia Masjid was located very close to the affected house, additional reinforcements were promptly mobilised from District Fire Station Pulwama and Fire Station Rajpora.
Officials said that upon arrival of the initial fire tender, some locals present at the spot allegedly misbehaved and mishandled the motor attached to the fire vehicle, resulting in a mechanical breakdown.
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Despite the setback, firefighting teams assessed the situation and found that a double-storied residential house, with dry grass stored in its attic portion, was engulfed in flames. Due to close proximity, the fire spread dangerously close to the rooftop of the Jamia Masjid, causing partial damage.
Firefighters, however, acted swiftly and professionally, successfully cooling down the rooftop of the Jamia Masjid and dousing the flames of the residential house, thereby preventing the fire from spreading further and averting a major disaster.
The firefighting operation was conducted under the overall supervision of Assistant Director, Fire & Emergency Services, Command Pulwama, Moin-ul-Islam, with effective mobilisation and coordination by Mobilising Officer Aijaz Ahmad Shah.
Meanwhile, Alok Kumar, ADGP, Fire & Emergency Services, has appealed to the general public to refrain from storing combustible materials in attic portions of residential houses and to strictly adhere to fire safety norms to avoid such incidents.
Officials said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and an investigation has been initiated.
