Massive Fire Razes 150 Shanties Of Labourers, Rohingya In Jammu

Nearly 150 huts, including 41 of Rohingya refugees, were gutted in a massive fire in Jammu in the early hours of Monday. Residents claimed that wind fuelled the flames and fire tenders were late in reaching the spot.

"I saw flames rising from the area at around 1 am. It was a massive fire. I could see gas cylinders and refrigerators bursting. The fire could not be doused off," Ram Swaroop, an eyewitness who lives in the vicinity said.

"After nearly an hour, fire brigades reached the site. They tried to douse the flames but couldn't succeed," he said.

"Forty-one out of total 54 Rohingya jhuggis were reduced to ashes in the blaze. People could not rescue anything because wind increased the intensity of the fire," said Samsul Aalam, a Rohingya.  

The cluster of houses located at Maratha Mohalla near Jammu Railway Station housed migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.