Ukhrul devastated by raging fire

UKHRUL, Mar 11 : Many were rendered homeless as a ravaging fire broke out at 12.20 pm this evening at Ukhrul town’s Wino bazar, destroying properties worth crores of rupees. At least six civilians were injured and two of them were taken to the district hospital with minor injuries, while the other four were treated at a private clinic. A young 13-year old girl received after-shocks and was also rushed to the hospital.The whole town was engulfed in smoke as flames soaring up to 50 metres high continued to raze one house after another in this thickly populated posh locality. By the time the fire brigade arrived on the spot at around 12.45 pm, the fire was beyond control. Assisted by the strong wind, it started eating shop after shop within minutes. Roars of cylinder blasts were heard all over and all vehicular movement came to a grinding halt as the inferno started spreading to the wooden buildings across. The Assam Rifles swiftly pitched in their firefighters from the northern direction while the fire brigade and the police, assisted by the civilians fought the fire from the western side. The DIG of B Range, Brig. S Mander personally supervised the rescue operation. Very close to the vicinity were more than 500 students appearing for their HSLC exam. However, the exam carried on as normal.It took more than four hours for the fire brigade assisted by the police, the Assam Rifles and Manipur Rifles to finally bring the flames under control. By the time the flames died down, almost 100 houses of the town’s commercial hub were reduced to cinders. In the midst of the billowing smoke from the rubbles, the scene was replete with signs of agony, loss and helplessness everywhere. The loss of property was estimated at crores of rupees, according to initial estimates. The fire was believed to have started from a tea-hotel.It was reliably learnt that the district civil administration was in the process of arranging emergency ‘relief camps’ for those who lost their homes, the number running into hundreds.A statement from the Assam Rifles said that the commander 10 Sector himself went to the site of the fire and supervised the fire fighting operations. The 10 Sector provided 13 to 15 water browsers, firefighting equipment, recovery vehicles and JCB to ensure the fire was brought under control and the loss of property minimised.Four Assam Rifles columns were placed into operation and the AR played a big role in bringing the fire under control around 4 pm, thus averting any further damage, the AR said.The AR has also provided tents for the displaced persons and opened a kitchen to provide food for over 400 people, along with providing generators for electricity during the night. A medical camp supervised by a number of medical officers has also been planned for March 10 to treat the people affected by the fire and this is addition to the medical help already provided, the statement from the PRO IGAR(S) further said.