Daijiworld Media Network – Jammu
Jammu, Oct 26: A massive fire swept through Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station late on Sunday night, gutting around 40 shops and leaving behind extensive destruction. No casualties have been reported, officials said on Monday.
The fire broke out at around 10.45 pm on Sunday and continued for more than five hours, destroying shop structures and merchandise and causing substantial financial losses to traders.
A Fire and Emergency Services official said fire tenders from seven fire stations were rushed to the spot after the department received an emergency call. Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before bringing it under control at around 4 am on Monday. Cooling operations continued for a few more hours to prevent the fire from reigniting.
One fire tender remained stationed at the site as a precaution, while personnel continued to monitor the affected area.
Around 40 shops, most of which sold food supplies, dry fruits and blankets, were gutted in the blaze. Officials said the extent of the damage was still being assessed and the total value of the property and goods destroyed had not yet been determined.
Preliminary investigations suggested that a short circuit in one of the shops may have triggered the fire. Strong winds reportedly helped the flames spread rapidly across the market.
The narrow approach to Shiv Market posed a major challenge for firefighters, making it difficult to reach the affected shops directly. Firefighting teams were forced to approach the blaze from the rear of the market to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading further.
As the fire spread from one shop to another, several traders made desperate attempts to salvage their belongings. However, the speed at which the flames engulfed the market left many with little time to remove their goods.
Shopkeeper Bitu Sharma said traders struggled to save their merchandise as the fire spread rapidly. He alleged that fire tenders reached the spot nearly one-and-a-half hours after the blaze broke out, claiming that the delay hampered efforts to contain the fire and salvage goods.
The incident has left traders facing heavy financial losses, with authorities continuing to assess the damage and investigate the cause of the fire.