In a secluded Kudhara hamlet in the Bandipora area of north Kashmir, three homes and six businesses were completely destroyed on Tuesday.
According to locals, all of the buildings were destroyed when the fire broke out on Tuesday morning.
The three destroyed homes belonged to the Hussain brothers Noor and Muneer, as well as their uncle Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.
The building, which was next to a well-known shrine in the community, also housed six stores, all of which, according to the villagers, have been destroyed.
Among them were retail shops, veterinary clinics, and pharmacies.
According to Mushtaq Ahmad of the local Panchayat, “the poor have been impacted by the fire.”
He pleaded with the authorities to provide them compensation as quickly as possible and to restore their houses and businesses right now.
Former minister Usman Majid expressed sorrow over the event and asked the government to calculate the damages and provide aid to those harmed.
Inam-ul-Haq Lone and other political party leaders also expressed their sorrow over the occurrence and called for assistance for the impacted families.
Tehsildar Bandipora, Tariq Ahmad, said that revenue teams were sent to the area to assess damages due to the fire even though the origin of the fire is yet unknown.
