Nongpoh, Jan 7: As many as 17 shops located at 9 Mile Baridua in Ri Bhoi district were reduced to ashes as a raging fire engulfed the local market on Saturday morning at around 3:30 am today.
As per sources, the incident happened at a time when everyone was asleep and luckily a few residents of the areas spotted the flames prompt and alerted others. The incident was also witnessed by the police patrolling team who then informed the Fire & Emergency Service from Meghalaya and Assam to douse the fire.
The fire was finally doused at around 6am before it could spread to the nearby residences. Fortunately, there was no report of casualty except loss of goods which were expected to be worth more than Rs. 30 lakhs.
The cause of the fire was not known and that Khanapara Police Outpost is conducting an investigation into this matter.