India

Fire Devastates Nehru Market, 12 Shops Destroyed in Jammu

By PTI

A fire destroyed at least a dozen shops in Jammu’s historic Nehru Market on the night of Sunday, November 8, 2026, while a separate blaze broke out at the district police lines in Kathua district, officials said. No casualties were reported in either incident, which occurred amid widespread bursting of firecrackers on Deepavali. The cause of the blazes has not yet been determined.

The fire swept through the Warehouse Nehru Market, one of Jammu’s oldest wholesale hubs for food grains, essential commodities and other daily‑use items. The Fire and Emergency Services Department said the blaze began in one shop at about 9:15 p.m. and spread quickly to adjoining establishments because of stored edible oil. The market has served traders, retailers and consumers since the 1950s.

Fire tenders from several stations across Jammu city were dispatched to the scene. Divisional Commissioner Vikas Kundal said the fire had largely been brought under control. "Fire and Emergency Services personnel, police teams and the civil administration are present at the spot. The fire has been brought under control, and efforts are underway to extinguish the remaining flames in the last one or two shops," he told reporters.

Warehouse Association president Deepak Gupta blamed the delayed response of the fire and emergency services for the spread of the flames. "What started as a small fire has engulfed around 15 shops and threatens to spread further. This is a complete failure and gross negligence on the part of the fire brigade. Despite the fire station being barely five minutes away, only two fire engines arrived after an hour and a half," he alleged. Gupta added that the fire brigade officials did not answer phone calls at first.

BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa said at least eight shops were gutted in the fire. "It is deeply unfortunate that this incident occurred on Diwali, destroying eight shops and causing estimated losses of crores of rupees and comes days after a massive fire in Shiv Market near the Jammu Railway Station destroyed dozens of shops," he said. The lawmaker called for the administration to station at least two to three fire tenders at each major market, especially after the Shiv Market incident. "The Fire and Emergency Services have failed to learn from past incidents. The authorities must take these lapses seriously," Randhawa added.

In Kathua, a store room at the district police lines caught fire at 9:50 p.m. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and efforts were underway to douse the conflagration.