Kupwara, Sep 10: At least 15 shops were completely gutted after a major fire broke out in Warnow area of Lolab in Kupwara district on Thursday, leaving local traders facing heavy financial losses and uncertainty over their livelihoods.
The blaze destroyed commercial establishments and property belonging to several shopkeepers, reducing years of hard work and investment to ashes. Many affected traders said they had lost everything in the fire and were now struggling to figure out how to restart their businesses.
The incident has caused distress among the local trading community, with shopkeepers seeking immediate government assistance, compensation and rehabilitation.
“We have lost everything. Our shops and belongings were completely destroyed. We have no means to restart our businesses,” affected shopkeepers said, while appealing to the administration for urgent support.
Officials from the Fire and Emergency Services department confirmed the fire incident. They said an assessment of the losses was being carried out to determine the extent of damage caused to the affected establishments.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Peoples Conference chairman and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone expressed concern over the incident and urged the district administration to provide immediate relief to the affected traders.
Lone called for a prompt assessment of the losses and urged the administration to extend all possible assistance to the shopkeepers.
He said timely intervention was important to help the affected families recover from the financial setback and rebuild their businesses.
The affected traders have urged the administration to treat the incident as an emergency and ensure rehabilitation support at the earliest. They said immediate financial assistance would help them meet basic needs and begin rebuilding their sources of income.
