One of the razed buildings engulfed in flames during the fire at the main market centre in Tuensang on the night of February 14.
Twenty-four shops gutted, around twenty-five families affected
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 15
Tuensang town’s main market centre went up in flames gutting 3 buildings, and leaving atleast 25 households without a roof on the night of February 14. In the buildings were as many as 24 shops.
While the flames were controlled from spreading to nearby houses, the incident rendered the Fire and Emergency Services’ (F&ES) main water reservoir empty in a hill town not known for abundant water, except when it rains.
According to official sources, the 3 buildings were located in the main bazaar, 2 of which were rented out to business owners, who also called the buildings home. The third was a private residential house.
There was no serious casualty but the sources said that one of the residents, a woman, sustained minor injury. A firefighter was also slightly injured in the course of the fire-fighting effort.
The fire reportedly started around 10:00 pm, rapidly engulfing the 3 buildings within minutes. “It took fire-fighters some 5 hours to contain the flames and preventing it from spreading to the surrounding buildings,” said the sources, adding that efforts continued well into dawn. The cause of the fire was still to be ascertained.
The loss incurred was estimated to be Rs 1.75 cr.
Reservoir goes dry
Almost all the F&ES staff stationed at the Tuensang Fire Station was pressed into service, while the three fire trucks made 16 refill trips. The scale of the fire had the approximately 70,000 to 80,000 litre capacity water reservoir in the station going empty. The reservoir was constructed for collecting and reserving rainwater for fire-fighting.
As told to The Morung Express, the fire station had only around 13,000 litres in reserve, contained in the 3 fire trucks, following the fire. The sources said that the PHE Department had already begun replenishing the reservoir on the request of the district administration. Unless there was rain, it would take a week atleast to fully replenish the reservoir.
