8 houses gutted in major fire in Srinagar

At least eight houses were gutted in a major fire that broke out in a congested locality in the city this afternoon, officials said.
There were, however, no causalities.
Fire broke out at a house in congested Pather Masjid area of downtown Srinagar around 2.40 PM and within no time engulfed some adjoining dwellings, Deputy Director Fire and Emergency Services, Mohammad Akbar Dar told PTI here.
Fire tenders were rushed to the scene and the blaze was put out after nearly two hours.
"We pressed 16 fire tenders and six pumps into action to control the blaze and managed to avert a major tragedy as the area is thickly populated and the lanes and by-lanes are narrow," Dar said.

The officer said about eight houses were damaged in the fire.
"We are still assessing the damage and the cause of the fire," he said.