Silchar: A massive fire broke out on Hospital Road in Silchar on Wednesday afternoon, destroying two shops, several houses, and a political party's office. The blaze sparked widespread panic, prompting SP Cachar Numal Mahatta and a large police contingent to rush to the scene.
Eight fire tenders eventually brought the fire under control. A shop selling scientific medical equipment, a hardware store, a CPI(M) party office and a house, located behind the party office, was completely gutted before the fire tenders could reach.
Initially, only one fire engine had reached the spot on time, but could do very little as the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Locals reported that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit, while the SP attributed it to a gas cylinder explosion.
However, what caught the eye of the locals were leakages in the pipes of the fire tenders, leading to a chaotic scenario. An eyewitness said a short circuit had led to a spark in one of the shops and within a few minutes smoke had started to come out. Local shopkeepers brought the situation under control by shutting off the electrical lines, he said.
"At about 1:30 pm in the afternoon, we saw smoke coming out once again and called the fire brigade and emergency services. However, the sight of leaking pipes is extremely disappointing. We still have old vehicles for services, when modern facilities should utilised." Assam Rifles and ONGC too were pressed into action.
While Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty rushed to the spot, the locals appealed to the police for night patrolling. Mahatta assured them of all possible support and vigilance to avoid a repetition in the future.