At least eight residential houses were completely damaged in a massive fire incident that broke out in Karfalli Muhalla area of Habba Kadal, Srinagar, on intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

An official told news agency JKNS that the flames had erupted from one of the residential structures and quickly spread to adjoining houses due to the congested locality and dry weather conditions.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot soon after receiving the information and launched an extensive operation with the help of locals and police to douse the flames. After several hours of intense effort, the fire was brought under control.

While no casualties were reported in the incident, property worth lakhs of rupees has been reduced to ashes. Locals said several families have been rendered homeless and appealed to the district administration for immediate relief and rehabilitation assistance.

Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services Department said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and investigations are underway. (JKNS)