At least 64 fire incidents were reported across the Jammu division during Diwali celebrations on Sunday, November 8, causing extensive damage to commercial establishments, warehouses and other properties. Jammu district recorded the highest number of incidents, with 30 fires, including a major blaze at the historic Warehouse Nehru Market, where around 15 shops were reportedly gutted.

According to officials of the Fire and Emergency Services Department, 53 of the 64 incidents occurred between 5 pm on Sunday and 3 am on Monday, coinciding with Diwali celebrations and widespread bursting of firecrackers. The remaining 11 incidents were reported before 5 pm.

The scale of the emergencies kept firefighting teams engaged throughout the night, with fire tenders and personnel mobilised from different stations to tackle simultaneous incidents across the region.

Jammu District Records 30 Fire Incidents

Jammu district accounted for nearly half of the total fire incidents reported across the division.

Samba and Kathua districts together recorded 10 incidents, including a fire at the District Police Lines in Kathua. Doda reported nine incidents, while Udhampur and Reasi recorded eight each.

Kishtwar reported three incidents, while the Rajouri-Poonch belt also recorded three. Ramban reported one fire incident.

Officials identified four major fires in Jammu district. Apart from the Warehouse Nehru Market blaze, significant incidents were reported at Pahari Mohalla, Shalimar and Gangyal.

At Pahari Mohalla, a five-storey commercial building housing cloth and footwear shops, along with a basement, was gutted. At Shalimar, a fire damaged the third and fourth floors of a five-storey building housing medical stores, while a hardware godown at Gangyal was also affected.

Massive Fire at Historic Warehouse Nehru Market

The most serious incident occurred at Warehouse Nehru Market near Bikram Chowk, where a massive fire broke out at around 9:15 pm on Sunday.

The market is among Jammu’s oldest wholesale commercial centres and has been serving traders, retailers and consumers since the 1950s. It is known for wholesale trade in foodgrains, edible oil, essential commodities and other daily-use products.

According to Fire and Emergency Services officials, the fire reportedly originated in one of the shops before spreading to adjoining establishments. The presence of large quantities of edible oil and closely packed shops and warehouses contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.

Around 15 shops were affected by the blaze. Fire tenders from several fire stations across Jammu city were deployed, and firefighters worked to prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring commercial establishments.

The firefighting operation continued for several hours, with the blaze brought under control around midnight. Two fire tenders remained at the location, while officials awaited a detailed assessment of the property damage.

Divisional Commissioner Jammu Vikas Kundal, who visited the site during the operation, said the fire had been largely brought under control.

“Fire and Emergency Services personnel, police teams and the civil administration are present at the spot. The fire has been brought under control, and efforts are underway to extinguish the remaining flames in the last one or two shops,” he told reporters.

Traders Allege Delay in Firefighting Response

The incident triggered strong protests from traders, with Warehouse Association president Deepak Gupta alleging that a delayed response by the Fire and Emergency Services Department allowed the fire to spread to adjoining shops.

“What started as a small fire has engulfed around 15 shops and threatens to spread further. This is a complete failure and gross negligence on the part of the fire brigade. Despite the fire station being barely five minutes away, only two fire engines arrived after an hour and a half,” he alleged.

Gupta also claimed that fire brigade officials initially did not respond to telephone calls. He demanded accountability and suspension of the officials concerned, and threatened an indefinite strike if action was not taken.

However, Fire and Emergency Services officials disputed the allegations, maintaining that the initial fire call was attended to at the earliest possible time.

According to the department, two fire tenders from the nearest station were immediately dispatched, while additional vehicles were mobilised from other fire stations to support the operation.

Officials said multiple fire emergencies were being reported simultaneously at different locations across the Jammu region, placing considerable pressure on available firefighting resources.

BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa Raises Safety Concerns

BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa also expressed concern over the damage caused to commercial establishments in the Warehouse Nehru Market fire.

He said at least eight shops had been gutted and estimated the financial losses to run into crores of rupees.

“It is deeply unfortunate that this incident occurred on Diwali, destroying eight shops and causing estimated losses of crores of rupees and comes days after a massive fire in Shiv Market near the Jammu Railway Station destroyed dozens of shops,” he said.

Randhawa said the administration should have stationed at least two to three fire tenders at major commercial markets, particularly following the recent fire at Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station.

“The Fire and Emergency Services have failed to learn from past incidents. The authorities must take these lapses seriously,” Randhawa said.

The earlier fire at Shiv Market had also caused extensive damage to commercial establishments, raising concerns over fire safety arrangements in Jammu’s crowded wholesale and retail markets.

Fire at Kathua District Police Lines

Another significant incident was reported at the District Police Lines in Kathua, where a store room caught fire at around 9:50 pm on Sunday.

Fire tenders were rushed to the location, and firefighting personnel launched an operation to control the blaze. No casualties were reported in the incident.

The Kathua fire was among the 10 incidents recorded collectively in Samba and Kathua districts during the Diwali period.

Chief Minister Directs Immediate Relief to Affected Traders

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directed the district administration on Monday to provide immediate relief and necessary assistance to shopkeepers affected by the Warehouse Nehru Market fire.

In a post on X, the Office of the Chief Minister said, “Chief Minister expressed deep grief over the fire incident that occurred at Bikram Chowk, Jammu, conveying his heartfelt sympathies to all those affected.”

The Chief Minister also directed the administration to extend necessary support to those who suffered losses in the incident.

The direction came as traders began assessing the damage caused to their shops and commercial stocks in the historic wholesale market.

Cause of Fires Yet to Be Established

Although the majority of the fire incidents were reported during the evening and night hours of Diwali, officials have not established whether firecrackers were responsible for the major blazes.

The exact cause of the Warehouse Nehru Market fire and other major incidents is yet to be ascertained.

No casualties were reported in the major incidents at Nehru Market and Kathua District Police Lines. However, the damage to commercial properties across Jammu district and other parts of the division was extensive.

As of Monday, Fire and Emergency Services personnel had responded to all 64 reported incidents, while the department continued to assess the extent of property damage. The detailed loss assessment for the Warehouse Nehru Market fire was awaited.