Uri, Dec 22 : Residents of Boniyar tehsil in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have raised serious concern over the absence of a Fire and Emergency Services station in the area, saying the lapse has repeatedly resulted in loss of property and homelessness.

Locals said that Boniyar, comprising over 50 villages, has no dedicated fire tender. Fire engines, they said, are dispatched either from Baramulla town, around 30 kilometres away, or from Uri town, which has only one fire tender catering to nearly 100 villages of Uri and Boniyar.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of Boniyar, said demands for a fire station have been pending for several years. He said delayed response from distant locations makes it impossible to control fires in time.
On Saturday, two residential houses were gutted in a fire incident in Boniyar, rendering three families homeless. Residents said locals, with the assistance of Army personnel, attempted to douse the flames but failed due to acute water shortage. They alleged that the fire service vehicle reached the spot late, by which time both houses had been completely destroyed.
Another resident, Irfan Ahmad, said the absence of a local Fire and Emergency Services unit has worsened the impact of such incidents. He said repeated fires have caused extensive damage to homes and commercial structures.
Zeshan Ahmed said representations have been submitted to district and divisional authorities on multiple occasions. He said several fire incidents in Boniyar have resulted in losses running into crores due to the non-availability of a fire station.
Residents also said the issue was raised during the Back-to-Village programme and a memorandum was also submitted to the Lieutenant Governor during his visit to Baramulla. They said no concrete action has followed so far.
Locals further claimed that a fire service vehicle was temporarily stationed in Boniyar last year but was later withdrawn for reasons unknown.
Boniyar has witnessed several major fire incidents over the years. On October 18, 2025, a Darul Uloom was completely destroyed in a fire. In December 2023, at least 16 shops were gutted in Boniyar. In July 2024, a midnight fire reduced at least 10 shops to ashes in Boniyar market. On December 31, 2020, six families were rendered homeless after two joint residential houses were gutted in Bernate village. In February 2017, a massive fire in Uri town destroyed over 50 shops and godowns, while a historic Jamia Masjid in Bijhama was gutted earlier that year due to lack of adequate fire tenders.
Residents have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration and MLA Uri to establish a Fire and Emergency Services station in Boniyar to ensure timely response and prevent further loss of life and property.