TURA: The vast expanse of Tura NEHU campus was engulfed in flames on Thursday last as a bush fire which started in the periphery of the campus threatened to spread to the adjoining villages of Chibraagal, Chasinggre and Duragre.
The bush fire, suspected to be the handy work of miscreants, started in the afternoon near a cattle farmer’s enclosure behind the NEHU campus and became a full blown inferno by late evening devouring forests and bamboo groves in its path.
Residents along the campus fencing fearing for their life and property came out of their homes armed with buckets and tree branches to control and stop the spread of the raging fire into their backyards. The fire fighting went on into the night and eventually by 2 AM the next day the fire was put out by concerned citizens at Chasinggre area. However smoke and crackling of fire burning bamboo groves could be seen and heard in some pockets of the thickest undergrowth in and around the campus and along the NH51 to Chibraagal until late Friday afternoon.
Ironically, the security guards posted at Tura NEHU campus were unaware of the raging inferno in their own backyard until staff from the fisheries department and concerned residents of Chasinggre informed them at around 7 PM on Thursday. An alarmed resident also called 108 emergency services after which a fire tender was dispatched about half an hour later. The lone fire tender, however, could do only so much and went back leaving the residents to fend for themselves.
Bush fires break out every year during this time of the year in the area and residents feel that safety measures for fire hazard should be strictly put in place especially during the dry season when a tiny spark can result in a devastating inferno.
A similar fire broke out in Tura NEHU campus in 2009 where two fire tenders had to be used to contain the inferno.
