A fire broke out in a temporary hutment housing labourers within the premises of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Vijaypur, Jammu region, on Monday afternoon. While no lives were lost in the incident, the belongings of the labourers residing in the hutment suffered damage.
According to sources, around 2:30 PM, a labourer noticed smoke billowing out from the lower side of the hutment situated inside the AIIMS complex. Immediately, officials from the AIIMS management, police, and Fire and Emergency personnel rushed to the spot. Fire tenders were pressed into service around 3:15 PM to tackle the blaze.
“It took time to extinguish the fire, and by then, the belongings of the labourers inside the hutment suffered damage. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in the incident,” the sources said. The cause of the fire is still being ascertained by the authorities.
AIIMS Jammu is a premier medical institution in the region, and the incident has raised concerns about the safety and living conditions of the labourers working on the premises. Efforts are underway to provide necessary assistance and alternative accommodation to the affected labourers.
The Fire and Emergency Services department, along with the AIIMS management and local authorities, are investigating the incident to determine the exact cause of the fire and take preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future. Eyewitnesses and local residents have expressed concerns about the potential risks posed by temporary hutments within the AIIMS complex and have called for better living facilities and safety measures for the labourers employed at the site. Further updates on the investigation and the measures taken by the authorities are awaited.
