By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 14: Shillong’s ability to handle natural and man-made disasters was put to the ultimate test when a massive blaze gutted the Janata Furniture Building at Thana Road in the commercial hub of Police Bazar on Saturday. One person died of asphyxiation while unconfirmed reports said four persons were injured.
Sadly, the city failed miserably in the test. The fire tenders took at least 40 minutes to reach the spot as the road leading to the accident site was woefully congested, having being overrun by street vendors and vehicles.
The narrow alleys prevented fire tenders from reaching the spot on time as the fire engulfed the entire building destroying several shops and godowns.
Eyewitnesses said the fire tenders had trouble getting through because street vendors were in their way, causing delays.
Fire tenders and water tankers from the Army, Air Force and the BSF coordinated with the Fire Services department to douse the flames.
At the time of filing the report, the fire was yet to die down.
The fire reportedly broke out from a godown on Janata Furniture building at around 1.15 pm. The thick black smoke emitting from the blaze was visible from vantage points across the city.
East Khasi Hills SP Sylvester Nongtnger confirmed 51-year-old Sampath Singh, working as a manager at Bhajanlal’s had died of suffocation.
The police official said some persons were rescued before the fire engulfed the building.
The road leading to Police Bazar area right from the DC’s office was turned into a no entry zone to ensure a hassle-free movement for the emergency vehicles.
As a result, the city came to a grinding halt as all vehicular movement towards Police Bazar was stopped leading to a Domino’s effect across the city.
Citizens witnessed an unprecedented gridlock till late in the evening and power supply in several localities was cut off to prevent any untoward incident.
Inspector-General of Police (Fire and Emergency Service) FG Kharshiing said that as per preliminary investigation, the fire started from a godown.
“We don’t know the cause. We will have to conduct an inquiry into the cause,” he said.
Expressing gratefulness to the Army and Air Force for their efforts on Saturday, he said that the fire has been brought under control but is yet to be fully extinguished.
Explaining the delay in fully dousing the fire, he said some roof sheets were preventing the water from penetrating into the nook and corner of the building.
“It will take the entire night to extinguish the fire completely,” Kharshiing added.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma expressed concern over the incident and asked the district administration to provide aid to the affected people.
“Concerned about the fire incident that occurred today in Jail Road, Police Bazaar, Shillong that caused huge loss to life and property. Have asked the district administration to assess the damages and to assist the families affected by the incident,” he posted on ‘X’.