Elderly couple killed in early morning church fire in city

SHILLONG: Two persons died in a fire that spread from the premises of the Church of God, Qualapatty to their house in the early hours on Sunday even as the 117-year-old church itself was razed to the ground.
The husband and wife couple, Tiameren Basaiawmoit and Reliable Laloo, went out on seeing the fire that engulfed the church and spreading to their home, but went back again to get something only to be trapped inside resulting in their death. The house was only partially damaged.
Their funeral will take place on Monday at the Full Gospel Fellowship cemetery at Mawlai Mawroh.
Home Minister James Sangma and DGP R. Chandranathan along with police and officials of the district administration visited the site. Police sources said that the fire, which started at around 3-3.30 am, completely gutted the church.
“The cause of the fire is not known. It was a 117-year-old structure with wooden flooring,” a source said adding that the flames also spread to the home of the elderly couple, Basaiawmoit and Laloo.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Pastor in charge, AC Moore said, “I came to know about the fire at 4:33 am and when I arrived, the fire was fiercely raging. It is too early to say anything as of now as to the reason behind the fire. We urge the government to do its investigation”.
He said that the fire must have started 1-2 hours earlier judging from the manner in which it spread.
Compounding the problem was the narrow road leading to the church which delayed the fire tender’s arrival.
Asked on the estimated loss, he said that the monetary loss is incomparable since the building is one of the oldest in the state.
“It is almost a heritage building and it is priceless. This is the place where the foundations of the Church of God were laid in 1902”, Moore said.
Prayer service
Despite the fire, the church service went on as any other Sunday. The church bell rang amidst the ruins and with emotions running.
The faithful gathered for the prayer service at the basketball court of the Nora Evalyn School. “The church bell still stands and we are using it for today. The church service was held as there are many believers who came all the way from villages and we gathered for the prayer”, he said.
Asked as to where the church will hold the Bible studies, meetings etc, Moore said that the executive committee of the church will meet to make plans as this will take time till the church is restored.
“There are facilities and we will try to accommodate to help the believers at this time”, he said.
CM’s message
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma took to Twitter to speak up about the fire incident. He wrote, “Woke up to the tragic news of the Church of God, Qualapatty being gutted in fire that also claimed lives this morning. The indigenous church is one of the oldest in the State. My prayers for the deceased and the Church of God family.”
Forum condoles deaths
The United Christian Forum of North East India has expressed shock and pain at the unfortunate incident in which two persons died.
“While offering their prayers and solidarity, the members of UCFNEI offered its condolences to the family members Basaiawmoit and Laloo, who perished in the sad incident. May their souls rest in peace,” Allen Brooks, spokesperson for UCFNEI, told The Shillong Times, here on Sunday.