Over 100 houses, mostly bamboo structures with CGI roof, were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire that engulfed Namgalong colony, Burma Camp in Dimapur of Nagaland on Friday.
Though there was no loss of lives, one person sustained burn injuries while trying to save his belongings.
According to colony council members and nearby residents, the fire allegedly broke out from a kerosene-stove in one of the hutments at around 2 pm. The occupants were mostly auto drivers, daily wage earners, etc.
Officer in-charge of Dimapur Fire Service, A Wati Jamir said that the exact cause of the fire and estimates of loss and damages to properties were being worked out.
According to nearby residents, some LPG gas cylinders also exploded during the fire. It took one and half hours for five fire tenders, including two from Chumukedima, to contain the inferno. However, nothing could be saved. One of the fire tenders was immobilized, after one of its wheels sank on the soft mud while trying to navigate the narrow lane.
ADC Dimapur, Sara S Jamir, who is also the nodal officer of the District Disaster Management Authority, later visited the site to take stock of the situation.
The site, below the Burma Camp overbridge was very congested and the rescue team had a harrowing time to evacuate the affected.
Sara said the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) should enforce building by-laws to avert recurrence of fire incidents in the future.
The ADC also donated Rs 10,000 to the affected victims for buying food and vegetables for the evening.
Till the filing of this report, 83 households have been confirmed to have been affected comprising of 239 residents. The number could rise as assessments continued.