Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 11
Wind, water and fire today made quite an impact on Dimapur. First came the winds. Howling its way through the streets, it picked up dust along its route much to the irritation of passers-by and two-wheeler riders. Then the rains came lashing down. But just when Dimapurians were welcoming the much-awaited shower from the heavens, the third element struck. Fire. It started in a hardware store at Khermahal, Dimapur and blazed its way to nearby shops. The storage of chemicals in the form of paint thinners and other flammable liquids added fuel to the fire, literally. The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained because Dagga’s hardware store was closed at the time when the fire began. Some attributed the fire to an electrical short circuit while some supposed that the cause of the fire was from a candle left burning. Police said the owners of the shops were not around at the immediate moment. “They may have been scared,” a Police official said. Thorough investigations will be carried out tomorrow.
Eyewitnesses said fire fighters arrived between 10-15 minutes after they were contacted. Traffic jams at the busy hours of the evening did not actually help in timely arrival, a fireman said. After intense negotiations between the water hose and the licking flames, the blaze was brought under control at around quarter past seven.
Water alone could not contain the fire which had the highly combustible liquids on its side. Firemen had to employ foam to douse out the fire. Each of the seven fire brigade vehicles carried two packets of foam but even these ran out. More had to be asked for from their store. A large crowd gathered to witness the real-life drama but had to be shooed back by Police whenever they came too close to the fire or were disrupting the movement of fire-fighting vehicles. An electric post was also said to have collapsed.
Besides personnel of the fire department, the Army lent a hand by helping in dousing the inferno, eyewitnesses said. “Their help is much appreciated,” a bystander said.
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