Two charred to death as fire guts 80 shelters in Bemina

Srinagar, Nov 4: A mother’s desperate plea for help, a father’s recollection of his son’s last phone call and families left with nothing but the clothes they managed to escape in captured the tragedy after a fire gutted nearly 80 temporary shelters in Durbal area of Bemina in Srinagar, killing two people, including a 16-year-old boy.
The blaze broke out during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving several families homeless, destroying their belongings and claiming the lives of two Delhi natives who were working as scrap collectors in the area.
One of the bereaved mothers, whose 16-year-old son died in the fire, said she received the heartbreaking news around 3 am. “I got the news at 3 in the night that my son was burnt,” she said, breaking down. She has appealed to the government for assistance.
Another family member said the boy had come to visit his relatives in the area just two days before the incident and had spoken to his father over the phone shortly before the tragedy.
“He called me in the middle of the night and said, ‘I have come here, but I don’t like it here. I will come to Kupwara in the morning.’ That was the last thing he said to me,” his father Mohammad Rehmet Islam said.
He said the family received news of the tragedy around 2 am, when the entire area had already been engulfed in flames.
The bereaved mother said the deceased was the only earning member of the family, while another woman survivor recounted how she managed to escape with her children but could not save any belongings.
“We had money, jewellery and everything, but it was all burnt. We could not take even a single thing out. We somehow managed to escape with the children,” she said, adding that the family had lost its clothes, household belongings and savings.
“We are sitting on the roadside. We don’t know where to go. We are asking the government for help,” she said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the loss of two lives and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
The CM conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and directed the concerned authorities to ensure immediate relief and all necessary assistance to those affected, stressing the need for prompt intervention to address their urgent requirements.
An official said that the fire broke out around 12:23 am and rapidly spread through the cluster of temporary shelters, mostly made of tarpaulin and wood, engulfing nearly 80 structures.
An empty poultry farm and a tipper were also damaged in the blaze, while a residential house was among the properties affected.
Fire tenders from JVC and Rawalpora fire stations, along with additional reinforcements from Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Headquarters at Batamaloo, were rushed to the spot to douse the flames.
“By the time the Fire and Emergency Services were informed, the entire area was already engulfed in flames,” an official said, adding that two bodies were recovered from the debris after the fire was brought under control.
The deceased were identified as Mohammad Noor Alam (27), son of Abdul Wahab, a native of Delhi presently residing at Durbal, and Al Ameen (16), son of Mohammad Rafi, also a native of Delhi and presently residing in Kupwara.
Both were working as scrap collectors in the area, officials said.
Recounting the terrifying moments, another survivor, Mohammad Ramin, said he woke up suddenly to find the fire spreading through the area.
“I suddenly woke up and saw the fire. I don’t know how it started,” he said.
Ramin said the affected people had not received government relief at the time of his interview. He expressed gratitude to local residents who came forward to help them.
“Our Kashmiri brothers fed us breakfast this morning,” he said.
Meanwhile, an official speaking on behalf of the district administration said around 20 families, 30 temporary structures and one residential house were affected in the incident.
He said police, Fire and Emergency Services and revenue officials immediately reached the spot, while the damage assessment was almost complete. The Deputy Commissioner had assured immediate relief, and cases were being processed for assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
“Arrangements are being made for food, tents and blankets. We are doing all the necessary arrangements today,” the official said.
Regarding the cause of the fire, he said police had taken cognisance of the incident and an investigation was underway to ascertain how the blaze started.
The bodies of the deceased were handed over to police after completion of FSL proceedings, officials said. (KNO)