Fire kills 1, damages 15 houses in Indian-controlled Kashmir

A person was burnt to death in a devastating fire that gutted at least 15 residential houses Monday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The fire broke out at Dalgate locality of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Fire broke out at Buchwara, Dalgate in Srinagar today and according to preliminary reports 15 residential houses got damaged," a police spokesman said. "A male body of a local resident was also recovered from the place of incident."

Reports said though locals immediately called fire and emergency services. However, until their arrival the blaze had taken houses in its grip.

According to police officials, the fire began in one of the houses and soon spread to adjacent houses.

"Fire was brought under control by fire tenders with the assistance of police and locals," the spokesman said.

The officials of region's Fire and Emergency Services department said it took around three hours for them to to douse the flames.

The cause of the fire was being ascertained, police said.

Officials at Fire and Emergency Services department say chances of fire in the region increase during winters, as households store various types of fuel. Endit