Nongpoh, May 5: The house of the headman of Nongagang Marngar village in Ri Bhoi District, O Binong, was gutted on Thursday night when the family was not present in the house.
According to sources, the fire broke out at around 10 pm and the cause of the fire was reported to be the candle that was left burning while the family left the house in a hurry. The incident has left the family devastated, as they have lost everything in the fire including rice, traditional weaving and spinning machine, important documents, and other household items. The estimated value of the losses is reported to be around Rs. 5 lakhs.
O Binong, while informing about the incident, said that there was no electricity due to ongoing load shedding and he had to light a candle to complete some work. After completing the work, he left the house in a hurry to comfort Late Walinda’s family, forgetting to put off the candle. He also added that despite the efforts of the villagers, the house was gutted.
The incident has left Binong, who is from a poor family, in a difficult financial situation. He has appealed to the government and the local legislator of Nongpoh constituency, Mayralborn Syiem, to extend financial assistance so that he can rebuild his house and stand on his feet again.
