Poonch: Nine shops were gutted in an overnight blaze in a market in Mandi area of the Poonch district, reports and officials said on Saturday. The locals also staged protest, accusing the Fire and Emergency department of being “very late”. They even refused to take their help, saying the fire was brought under control with the help of police and army.

Another fire at a J&K Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) yard here burnt a parked bus and dozens of tyres, officials said. The fire in the Mandi area of Poonch broke out from a shop at the Loaran bus stand around 4.45 am and engulfed nearby shops, they said.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot were able to put off the blaze after several hours of hectic efforts, the officials said.

The other incident took place at a JKRTC tyre puncture repair workshop in Transport Nagar in the Narwal area of Jammu around 8.30 am, the officials said. Fire and emergency services personnel doused the flames believed to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit, they added.

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