my uttarakhand news Bureau
Jyotirmath (Chamoli), 2 Jan: A fierce fire broke out inside a store at the Army camp on Auli Road in Jyotirmath (Joshimath), sending panic rippling through the area. The blaze erupted suddenly at 2 p.m. this afternoon and spread rapidly due to high winds, engulfing the premises in chaos as thick black smoke billowed into the sky. Army fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot upon receiving information and, after strenuous efforts, brought the flames under control after about two and a half hours.
Firefighters from the Army, ITBP and the local fire service are working tirelessly at the scene, with nearly 100 Army personnel remaining on site to battle the inferno. Considerable effort went into salvaging the items stored inside, which reportedly included old or obsolete material, but the intense heat gutted a significant portion of the inventory. The local residents watched in terror as towering flames and plumes of smoke created a harrowing scene, heightening fears across the camp and surrounding neighbourhoods.
SHO Devendra Rawat confirmed that the fire ignited abruptly in the camp store, leaving everyone startled by its ferocity. The exact cause is under investigation at present. This incident has added to a string of recent blazes across the region, leading to growing concerns over fire safety amid dry winter conditions.
It may be recalled that, on 28 December, a massive fire had reduced a garbage house to ashes at the tourist spot of Chopta in Rudraprayag district, with flames proving too fierce to extinguish in time. The following day, on 29 December, two residential buildings were destroyed in Satta village of Mori block in Uttarkashi district, leaving one person scorched. In Nainital, a major fire gutted a warehouse at BD Pandey Hospital in the early hours of 31 December, destroying goods and two-wheeled vehicles and marking the third such incident there within three months.
Fire incidents have also been reported from forests in Garhwal as well as Kumoan regions due to the prevailing unusually dry weather, with fire incidents reported at various locations in Almora, Nainital, and Chamoli districts. In Chamoli, a blaze in the Govind Ghat range shrouded surrounding areas in thick smoke, though forest department personnel eventually controlled it with great difficulty.
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