SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Several shops and residential houses were gutted Monday in a devastating fire in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.
The fire broke out during early hours at Cheeni Chowk locality in Anantnag town, 50 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
No loss of life was reported in the incident.
"In a devastating incident of fire early today, several shops and residential houses were gutted here," a senior official at Deputy Commissioner's office at Anantnag told Xinhua over telephone. "The fire has been doused and we will soon send our team of officials to the spot to assess the actual damage and provide some emergency relief to the victims."
According to the official, fire began in one of the buildings and immediately spread to adjacent building in the marketplace.
The officials of region's Fire and Emergency Services department said it took several hours for them to contain fire and douse the flames completely.
"The fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. (local time) and after struggling hard for hours together, we were able to contain flames and prevent it from spreading to further area," a fire and emergency official said.
The cause of fire is being ascertained.
Chances of fire in villages and cites of Indian-controlled Kashmir are usually high as people usually ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire and store fuel and combustible materials in a haphazard manner.
