3 houses, 7 shops gutted in blaze in JK's Kishtwar

Three houses and seven shops were gutted in a devastating fire in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no report of any loss of life, officials said Saturday.

The fire broke out in one of the structures at Dadpeth village Friday night and immediately engulfed the nearby buildings, the official said.

The fire and emergency services personnel managed to put off the blaze after several hours of operation, they said, adding the cause of the fire was not known immediately.

Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Angrez Singh Rana visited the affected village Saturday and handed over an immediate relief of Rs 5,000, blankets, kitchen kit, bucket and solar lights to each of the affected families, out of Red Cross fund.

The deputy commissioner directed officials concerned to ensure proper and timely compensation to the fire victims.

He directed Tehsildar Chatroo to submit a detailed report earliest so that compensation could be provided to them, an official spokesman said.

Rana instructed the people to dump their dry fodder or hay away from their houses to avoid fire incidents in future.