The house of former MLA of the Rongjeng Assembly constituency, Desang Sangma, was gutted in a fire allegedly caused by an electrical short-circuit on Saturday.
The incident took place at about 6:15 pm in East Garo Hills and continued for some time as there was delay in the arrival of Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) personnel.
It was a long wait for the Fire and Emergency Services vehicle to come from Williamnagar, about 50 km away from the spot of the incident, as there was no fire tender available in Rongjeng.
By the time the fire tender reached the former MLA Sangma’s house, the entire building was gutted.
“We received information of the fire nearly as soon as it occurred. F&ES personnel immediately tried to reach the spot but in their eagerness, the vehicle fell into a ditch. The bigger machine needs repair and has been lying for the past few days leading to a fire engine being sought from the town of Williamnagar,” said Superintendent of Police, East Garo Hills, Ringrang TG Momin.
“By the time the F&ES personnel reached the place, most of the damages had already happened and the fire had burnt out its normal course. No other structures were however damaged in the fire,” sources added.