Itanagar, Sep 8 (UNI) Altogether 23 houses were gutted in a devastating fire accident at Seppa in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, leaving dozens of families homeless, police said on Sunday.
The incident occurred at Abotani Colony, located at the backside of East Kameng DC, SP residences where the flames quickly spread through a densely populated residential area with no road access, because of which firefighters had to face a lot of problems in dousing the blaze, East Kameng SP Kamdam Sikom said.
Household properties worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the incident. Fortunately, there were no reports of any human casualty, he said.
The SP, who along with officials from district administration was present during the firefighting, said that the fire is suspected to have originated due to an electric short circuit from an SPT house.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with residents scrambling to save their belongings while firefighters battled to control the blaze. Around 10-12 LPG cylinders burst, fueling the fire and making it difficult for residents to contain the blaze. Despite the scale of the fire, swift action by emergency services ensured that no lives were lost.
Four fire tenders were pressed into service. Besides the locals, firefighters from the Fire and Emergency Services Department along with Aapda Mitras from the district Disaster Management Department strived hard to douse the flames.
Firefighters were able to bring the situation under control after three hours, but not before the flames reduced 23 houses to ashes. The fire-affected families are being sheltered at a nearby school, where necessary aid and relief efforts are underway, Sikom said.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said he is “saddened” to learn that 23 houses were destroyed in a devastating fire incident in Seppa. He asked the affected families not to panic, saying “We are closely monitoring the situation”.
Khandu asked the East Kameng district administration officials to provide them all possible assistance as per norms.
“A relief camp has been set up. I appeal to all the affected people to make use of the camp and also to maintain safety precautions so that such incidents don't reoccur,” he said.
UNI TD BD