Fire engulfs Jammu’s Nehru Market, guts around 12 shops
Another blaze was reported in the border district of Kathua, where, a store room at the district police lines went up in flames
On Sunday night, a blaze engulfed at least a dozen shops in Jammu's historic Nehru Market, leaving no casualties in an incident that occurred during Diwali celebrations. The fire began around 9:15 p.m. in one of the shops, quickly spreading due to the storage of edible oil in the market's warehouse. Fire and Emergency Services rushed to the scene, with Divisional Commissioner Vikas Kundal stating that the fire was largely under control.
However, the Warehouse Association president, Deepak Gupta, criticized the delayed response of the fire and emergency services, stating that only two fire engines arrived after an hour and a half, despite the station being just five minutes away. Gupta alleged that the fire brigade officials did not even answer phone calls initially.
BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa mentioned that at least eight shops were affected by the fire, causing estimated losses of crores of rupees. He called for better stationing of fire tenders at major markets, following a recent incident in Shiv Market near the Jammu Railway Station. In Kathua district, a store room at the police lines also caught fire at 9:50 p.m., with fire tenders rushing to the spot.
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