Skardu house fire kills two family members of local judge

GILGIT: A fire swept through a house in the Hamid Garh locality of Skardu on Sunday, claiming the lives of two family members of a sessions judge.

According to Skardu police spokesperson Ghulam Muhammad Shuja, the blaze erupted at around 6 AM in the residence of Judge Khurshid Ahmed. The victims were identified as the judge’s 42-year-old wife and 19-year-old son, Minhaaj Khurshid.

Rescue teams, led by SHO Skardu Imtiaz Hussain, responded quickly and worked alongside fire brigade personnel to contain the flames. However, despite their efforts, the victims succumbed to their injuries on the spot. The bodies were transferred to the Regional Headquarters Hospital in Skardu for post-mortem examination.

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Judge Khurshid Ahmed, his gunman Police Constable Gulzar, and the household cook Mehfooz were present in the house at the time of the fire but managed to escape unharmed.

Police have initiated an investigation into the incident. DIG Baltistan Asif Iqbal Mehmood and SSP Skardu Nasser Abbas have expressed their condolences to Judge Khurshid Ahmed and his family, describing the incident as “heart-wrenching.”

According to Rescue 1122, the house’s extensive woodwork and paneling accelerated the spread of the flames, making it difficult to control the fire.

In a statement, Rescue 1122 noted that a site had been designated for a rescue substation near the Regional Headquarters Hospital in Skardu to improve response times for such incidents in the city. However, despite this plan, no progress has been made over the past two years. Rescue 1122 has urged authorities to expedite the establishment of this substation to prevent future tragedies and minimize potential loss of life and property in Skardu.