Heavy rain and gusty winds turned disastrous in Sopore’s Sempora area after a fire, triggered by an electrical short circuit, gutted an apple storage shed on Thursday evening, officials said.
An official said that the fire broke out late Thursday evening, gutting a godown where freshly harvested apples and packaging boxes had been stored. A portion of the grower’s house also suffered damage, reported news agency KNO.
He said locals and police personnel intervened to bring the blaze under control and prevent it from spreading further, but the apple storage unit had already been engulfed in flames.
He said the godown belonged to fruit grower Manzoor Ahmad, who said that he had been unable to sleep since the incident. “It has been a very difficult time since yesterday. My year’s hard work has been destroyed in the fire. I could not sleep the entire night. The losses are huge and I appeal to the government to help me,” he said.
Meanwhile, locals appealed to Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar and Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar to intervene and extend assistance to the affected grower.
