Fire damages KPDCL workshop, receiving station in Pulwama

Pulwama, Dec 18: A major fire incident severely damaged a building housing the workshop of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) in the Washbugh area of Pulwama district on Wednesday.The fire also caused partial damage to another building that housed a 30 MVA receiving station.According to officials, the fire damaged several electrical appliances and equipment, including transformers.Executive Engineer KPDCL Pulwama, Mohammad Maqbool Naiko, informed Rising Kashmir over the phone that the fire erupted around 1:30 PM in the workshop.“The fire escalated rapidly after transformer oil stored in the workshop building ignited, causing the flames to spread to the 30 MVA receiving station located nearby,” Naiko said.He said that the personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services Department responded promptly and it took them around an hour to extinguish the blaze.“The workshop building suffered complete damage, while the receiving station sustained significant rooftop damage,” he said, adding that the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but a short circuit is suspected.He further revealed that around 45 transformers were affected, with some sustaining severe damage.He said that efforts are underway to make alternative arrangements for the workshop and to restore electricity in the affected area.“We aim to resume transformer repairs in the coming days and are prioritising restoring power to the district hospital and other essential services,” Naiko said, noting that complete restoration of electricity to the affected area may take a couple of days.The damage to the receiving station has affected electricity supply to Pulwama town and many adjoining villages.Meanwhile, MLA Pulwama, Waheed ur Rehman Parra has urged for speedy restoration of essential services.“Massive fire at Pulwama Divisional Workshop and Receiving Station has gutted several transformers awaiting repair. In these harsh winters, urgent intervention is needed to restore electricity in affected areas. Thankfully, no loss of life has been reported.Requesting Chief Minister@ Omar Abdullah for speedy intervention and restoration of essential supply and additional support with transformers and materials to ensure essential services are restored at the earliest,” he posted on X.