Shillong: A fast-moving blaze wiped out two wooden residential blocks near the Shri Satguru Kabir Ashram at Kenches Trace on Saturday afternoon. Seven families lost their homes in the fire. No people or animals were hurt.
The Iewduh Fire Station got the call at 4:37 pm. Two fire tenders arrived seven minutes later, but the aging structures were already burning. Firefighters called for three extra tenders to knock down the flames. Personnel from the 117 Territorial Army stepped in to help. The crew contained the fire in 40 minutes and finished the job after three hours of work.
Station Officer Dinesh Rai debunked rumors about 20 houses burning down. "The damage was confined to two large residential blocks occupied by seven families," Rai said. The team saved the nearby Ashram and a cow shed. Residents pulled their cows to safety, but the families lost all their belongings to the fire.
The buildings were over 60 years old. They used the traditional semi-Assam construction style. Investigators suspect an electrical short circuit started the inferno, but they still need to conduct a detailed inquiry. Officials are now setting up temporary shelter for everyone who lost their home.
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