Midnight blaze guts several buses in north Kashmir

Jahangir Lolabi

Kupwara: A major fire incident late Wednesday night caused significant damage to multiple buses at the main bus stand in Kupwara, officials said.

According to Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES), an alert regarding a massive blaze was received at the District Fire Control Room Kupwara at approximately 11:27 PM. Fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the site, where several buses were found engulfed in flames upon arrival.

Officials stated that a swift and coordinated firefighting operation was launched, and after several hours of sustained efforts, the blaze was successfully contained, averting further escalation.

“In total, seven buses were affected in the incident,” said an official, adding of these, three buses were completely gutted, three sustained partial damage, while one bus was impacted by heat and smoke.

“The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of Alok Kumar, with senior officers present at the scene to monitor and direct the response.”

“No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident,” the official said.

The cause of the fire, as per the official, has not yet been determined, and a detailed investigation is underway.