In Bonen village, located in the Sursyar block of Budgam district, a devastating fire on April 28 completely destroyed the single-storey home of local resident Habibullah Chauhan. Eyewitnesses say the blaze spread so rapidly that the house was reduced to ashes within minutes, leaving behind only rubble and loss.

This is not an isolated incident. Over the years, the Sursyar block has witnessed several fire tragedies, with cumulative losses running into crores of rupees. The common thread in all these incidents, according to residents, is the glaring absence of a fire service station in the area.

Due to the lack of nearby fire services, response times are severely delayed—often arriving too late to prevent catastrophic damage. Despite repeated pleas and memorandums to the authorities, the demand for a fire station in the block has gone unmet for years.

Now, once again, locals—alongside the affected family—are urging the government to take immediate action and provide essential emergency infrastructure to prevent further tragedies and protect rural lives and livelihoods.

This story is by Mushtaq Ahmad, a Community, Content Creator from Budgam, Kashmir. Learn more about Mushtaq and see other videos of his here www.kashmirunheard.org and www.videovolounteers.org

This story is filmed and edited by the community content creator. We bring you unfiltered stories from the deepest, most media-dark areas.

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