Morung Express news
Kohima | December 22
A major fire completely gutted a storeyed BCG tin house in Upper AG Colony in Kohima on Monday morning.
The blaze, which broke out in the morning hour, rapidly engulfed the structure located along the National Highway, near JP Enclave and below the South Police Station.
The affected building housed a bakery, a grocery shop, a bake house, and a private residence, all of which were destroyed.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke around 8:00 am, which escalated into a major inferno within minutes.
Fire station officials from Kohima, South Division told The Morung Express that fire call was received around 8:50 am and took more than three hours to bring down the inferno.
The official informed that eight fire tenderers and firemen from the district’s South and North Division and Khuzama station were pressed into action.
However, the team had been working till evening to clear smog and evacuate materials and items destroyed in the inferno.
According to the OC, Kelesezo Tsükrü, items worth around Rs 2 crore were lost to the fire. However, the response team saved fire from spreading to the vicinity which houses localities and shops in tight proximity.
The affected persons includes business establishment including Cake Square Bakery and their bakehouse, a grocery shop and local residents mostly non locals were left homeless. A paan shop was partially affected in the fire.
The suspected cause of incident was said to be electric short circuit. Locals said power issues in the building had been persisting and had informed Power Department for prior action.
Apart from that eye witnesses and local residents also said that the emergency phones of the fire department could not be reached promptly delaying the response action. It was also told that lack of fire extinguisher any of the shop or bakery also provoked the fire to spread quickly.
