Fire at Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex in Jammu

A fire broke out at the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex in the heart of the Old Walled City here today, a senior official said.

The fire in one of the buildings along the Tawi river was noticed around 10 am and extinguished promptly, Director of Fire and Emergency Services Rajinder Kumar Hak told PTI.

He said that though the blaze was controlled within one hour, a team of fire fighters were deployed at the spot as a precautionary measure to ensure there was no more damage to the affected building.

The 187-year-old epitome of cultural and royal heritage of last Dogra rulers is under renovation.

The fire was at a secluded place within the sprawling complex, away from the buildings which are under renovation, Hak said.

He said that officers in the chief minister's secretariat directly supervised the fire-fighting operation during which six fire tenders were pressed into service.

Mubarak Mandi served as the main seat of the Dogra Kingdom until 1925, before Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler, moved his seat to Hari Niwas Palace.

Asked about the cause of the fire, Hak said, It is a matter of investigation.

Minister of State for Tourism Priya Sethi visited the complex to take stock of the situation and ordered a probe to ascertain the cause of the fire, officials said.

In December 2006, a mysterious fire caused some damage to Toshakhana (treasure house) within the complex following which the valuable articles made up of gold and silver were shifted from there to a strongroom in the Civil Secretariat, Jammu.