Fire set off by ‘lightning storm’ guts 8 Shops, 7 empty rooms in North Kashmir

Srinagar, March 8: At least eight shops, one of them housing a kerosene depot, were gutted along with seven emptied rooms and a Patwar Khana in a fire triggered by “lightning storm” in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district overnight, officials said on Monday.
A senior officer of Fire and Emergency Department said that a massive fire was set off by the lightning storm in an old building housing eight shops in ground floor, seven empty rooms besides a Patwar Khana in its first floor at Rafiabad area of the district.
All shops dealing with different mercantile and rooms besides the Patwar Khana (housing revenue record) were gutted.
“Among the shops, one of them houses a kerosene oil depot. It actually led to substantial damage,” the officer said.
He said that four tenders from as many fire and emergency stations— Dangiwachi, Seelu, Rohama and Kralgund—worked in unison to douse off the flames. “It was after hectic efforts that the fire was extinguished.” He said that there was no injury reported in the incident.