A major fire broke out at an Army camp store on Auli Road in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, on Friday afternoon. While military equipment worth lakhs was damaged, timely action by the Army, fire brigade and ITBP ensured that none of the over 100 soldiers stationed there were injured.
The fire started at around 1:30 pm inside a storage unit located within the Army camp in Joshimath, part of Chamoli district. Eyewitnesses said huge flames shot up into the air, while thick black smoke spread across the area. Visibility dropped sharply, triggering panic among soldiers at the camp and residents nearby.
Strong winds worsened the situation, quickly spreading the fire through scrap materials, tents and key equipment stored in several sheds. Preliminary estimates suggest losses running into lakhs of rupees, though officials said a detailed assessment is still underway.
The camp’s position along Auli Road, an important route in the hill state, made it difficult for firefighting vehicles to reach the site. Despite this, teams managed to control the fire after more than two hours of continuous effort, preventing it from turning into a larger disaster.
More than 100 soldiers stationed at the army camp rushed to respond as soon as the fire was noticed. Using water tankers and basic firefighting equipment available at the camp, they began battling the flames even before outside help came.
Soon after, teams from the Joshimath fire brigade, local police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) joined the operation. Additional fire tenders and personnel were deployed to tackle the blaze, carefully dousing hotspots despite strong winds.
Jyotirmath Station In-Charge D S Rawat said the fire posed a serious risk to nearby buildings and polpulated areas. He praised the “excellent coordination” among agencies that ensured no loss of life. A senior Army officer also confirmed that while property damage was significant, there were no casualties and an investigation into the cause has been initiated.
Chamoli district, which hosts several strategic Army camps near the Indo-China border, regularly faces environmental challenges that increase the risk of such incidents. While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, officials noted that past incidents in the region have often been linked to equipment faults or extreme weather.
After the fire was brought under control, authorities sealed off the affected area as a precaution.
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