Braving snowfall and cold, the residents rushed to help tourists after a hotel they were staying in on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Mohd Maqbool, the general manager of Hotel Welcome, fire broke out in one of the rooms where a tourist was staying around 1:45 pm. “The fire was caused by a short circuit in one of the rooms. But the timely help of the locals and firefighters brought the fire under control by 3:30 pm,” he told Greater Kashmir.
Had it not been for good samaritans, the fire could have led to a huge tragedy. “65 tourists were staying in the hotel when the fire broke out. But the local residents rushed to help when it was snowing heavily,” he said, adding that the locals ensured that every guest was rescued safely.
The firefighters also made their best efforts to douse the flames and prevent further loss to the hotel property, he said. “We have shifted all the tourists who were staying in the hotel to different hotels until the service is resumed.”