SRINAGAR: A major fire at a three-storey residential-cum-commercial building housing Mir Sales Corporation, a blanket-selling unit in Srinagar’s Karan Nagar area, was brought under control around 5:30 am on Sunday, with cooling operations continuing, officials said.
The fire broke out late Saturday night in the building opposite Medicare Hospital, prompting the precautionary evacuation of patients from the nearby hospital.
Twelve fire stations and around 20 fire tenders were mobilised to tackle the blaze. The operation involved Bronto skylifts, foam tenders, fire cans, Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) and Advanced Rescue Teams (ARTs), officials said.
Cooling operations continued because of the large quantity of cotton and other combustible materials stored inside the building, they added.
Police personnel, assisted by local residents, helped evacuate patients from Medicare Hospital. Videos of the evacuation circulated on social media, with the police team receiving appreciation for its prompt response.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were yet to be ascertained.
