Banihal, Oct 28: In a devastating fire incident in Trigam Patnalla area of Khari tehsil in sub-division Banihal, three residential houses were completely gutted along with household belongings on Monday night.
According to locals, the blaze broke out around midnight and quickly spread, reducing the three multi-storey houses to ashes within a short span of time. The remoteness of the area and the absence of a fire service station at Khari delayed the response, as fire tenders had to be dispatched from Banihal, nearly 25 kilometers away.
In-charge Officer of Fire and Emergency Services Banihal, Ayaz Ahmad Najjar, told Greater Kashmir that upon receiving the distress call, a team was immediately sent from Banihal to the remote Patnalla Trigam area. “Our personnel managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses and successfully brought the flames under control, but by then, three residential buildings had already been destroyed,” he said.
The affected houses belonged to Abdul Ghani, Mohammad Akbar, and Sajjad Ahmad, sons of Ahad Kaloji, residents of Patnalla Trigam in Khari tehsil.
Local residents said the families were daily wage earners and lost everything in the fire, including food supplies, clothing, bedding, and essential household items. They have appealed to the district administration for immediate relief and assistance to the affected families.
