Fire guts 40 shops near Jammu railway station, no casualties reported

A massive fire gutted around 40 shops at Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station late on Sunday night, causing extensive damage to merchandise and shop structures. No casualties have been reported, officials said on Monday.
The blaze broke out at around 10.45 pm and continued for more than five hours before firefighters brought it under control at approximately 4 am on Monday. Cooling operations continued for several hours to prevent the fire from reigniting.A Fire and Emergency Services official said fire tenders from seven fire stations were rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. One fire tender remained stationed at the site as a precaution while personnel monitored the affected area.

VIDEO | Jammu: A fire broke out at Shiv Market near the railway station last night, gutting several shops. Morning visuals from spot. A local says, "The damage was extensive. The fire tenders arrived an hour or an hour and a half later. By then, everything was already gone." (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 26, 2026

The fire destroyed shops dealing mainly in food supplies, dry fruits and blankets, leaving traders facing substantial financial losses. Officials said an assessment of the damage was underway, and the total value of the property and goods destroyed was yet to be determined.
Preliminary investigations suggested that a short circuit in one of the shops may have triggered the blaze. Strong winds reportedly contributed to the rapid spread of the flames across the market.The narrow approach to Shiv Market created difficulties for firefighting teams trying to reach the affected shops. Firefighters were forced to approach the blaze from the rear of the market to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading further.
Shopkeepers made desperate attempts to salvage their belongings as the fire spread from one establishment to another. However, the speed of the blaze left them with little time to rescue their merchandise.Shopkeeper Bitu Sharma described the panic among traders as the flames engulfed the market. He said shopkeepers tried to remove whatever goods they could before the fire spread to their establishments.

#WATCH | Jammu | A shopkeeper says, "...The entire market has been reduced to ashes. At least twenty-five to thirty shops are a total loss—a complete, total loss...We pray to God to grant everyone the strength to cope with this—the loss is immense, a total loss. I also urge the administration to step in as quickly as possible and ensure that compensation is provided without delay..."

— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2026

Sharma also alleged that fire tenders reached the spot nearly one-and-a-half hours after the fire broke out, claiming that the delay affected efforts to control the blaze and save merchandise.The incident has left several traders facing heavy losses, while authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and investigate the cause of the fire.