Itanagar Fire: Over 700 shops were reduced to ashes in a massive fire at a major market in Arunachal Pradesh’s Naharlagun early Tuesday morning.
It is estimated, about 3 crore worth of property and goods were destroyed in the fire at Naharlagun Daily Market, which is about 13 km away from Itanagar and is a major commercial exchange point of the state.
The fire which is said to be caused by firecrackers or Diwali lamps lit in a house in the locality, spread within no time as the shops in the market were mostly made of bamboo and timber, officials informed.
Meanwhile, no casualty or injury has been reported so far from the incident.
Firefighters battle massive fire which broke out at a house in the Forest colony of Naharalagun in Arunachal Pradesh’s Itanagar, said officials on Monday.
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.#firedepartment #Firebrigade #FireService #firefightersindia pic.twitter.com/nLDQFNqV8i— Indian fire service (@Indianfireserv2) October 25, 2022
As per few media reports, the officials present at the site claimed, the fire could not be controlled quickly, due to the non-availability of water filling stations at Naharlagun and the fire tenders had to travel to an iron factory situated at a distance from town for refilling water.
Locals have alleged that, even despite the market’s proximity to the fire station, the fire officials failed to respond on time and when the firefighters and personnel of emergency services somehow controlled the situation, much of the damage had been done already.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be identified.
Naharlagun Bazar Welfare Committee president Kipa Nai was quoted by news agency PTI saying,”The police also did not act. All of them should be terminated from service for failure to perform their duties.”
However, a local police official asserted that a relief camp has been set up at a government-run higher secondary school in the area for people who either lived in the shops or in sheds around the market.
Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso reportedly assured residents of rebuilding the market by the state government in cooperation with Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACC&I).