Srinagar: Five residential houses at Dal Lake in Srinagar were burnt after they caught fire today evening, residents said. Locals rushed to the spot to control the fire and stopped it from spreading to other houses at Lati Mohalla inside the lake.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Residents allege that fire engines could not reach the spot.
This is the third incident of fire on Dal Lake this year.
Last month seven houseboats were burnt in a devastating fire at Nageen lake in Srinagar. Earlier two houseboats were burnt at Dal lake.
Houseboats, made of local cedar, are a major tourist attraction on the Dal lake. Anchored separately on the North and Western side of the Dal Lake, the houseboats, which are also called floating palaces are full of Kashmiri art woodwork. Each houseboat has a main part along with a kitchen boat- the residence of the boat keeper.