By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 20: The record blaze at Thana Road in Police Bazar on October 14 could have turned catastrophic had it not been for the brave and unsung heroes of the Fire and Emergency Service (F&ES) who fought the towering flames for well over 32 hours before finally taming them.
The blaze that gutted the Singhania Building, also known as Janata Furniture Building, was one of the most devastating the state has witnessed since the fire at the old Assembly building in 2001.
As many as 100 personnel and fourteen fire tenders were called in for this operation.
A few F&ES personnel spoke with The Shillong Times on Friday about their experiences during this operation.
Dinesh Rai, the station officer of the Bara Bazar F&ES, stated that he learned of the incident at Thana Road on October 14 at approximately 1:20 pm from the Sadar police station’s Emergency Response Support System (ERSS).
He claimed that he hurried over to the scene of the incident right away and called up the fire engines from both the nearby station and Bara Bazar F&ES.
He claimed that two of the firemen arrived at the location nearly simultaneously.
“As we began fighting the fire, I called my control room again to send more fire tenders after noticing the intensity of the fire,” Rai stated.
The senior police officials then arrived, took control of the situation, and assisted the firemen on the ground, Rai said.
According to him, fire fighters from the nearby fire stations, the Shillong Municipal Board, the Border Security Force, the Assam Regimental Centre, and the Indian Air Force also showed up to help with the operation.
He claimed that this kind of fire catastrophe only occurs once every so many years and is extremely risky.
He claimed that the first significant fire he could remember occurred in the former Assembly building in 2001, and the one they experienced this week was probably the second largest.
Rai urged the people to give way to fire fighters in the event of an emergency so they can respond promptly, stating that this fire crisis is a teaching opportunity for them to better prepare for such a huge fire incident.
Amar Bhattacharjee, the station officer at F&ES headquarters, stated that they were having trouble since they were unable to assault the building from all angles due to the narrow road and the inability of large fire tenders to reach the structure’s back side.
According to him, they were also concentrating on rescuing the nearby properties of the main structure that caught fire.
“We sprayed water using six lines. In order to contain the fire at the main building, four lines were targeted. We attempted to submerge the other two lines towards the Jagannath Temple and Payal Cinema,” he remarked.
According to Bhattacharjee, they were worried about protecting the surrounding properties and the large number of Assam-type houses on the back side.
“We attempted to contain the blaze, and despite the restricted area, we were successful in doing so. However, the losses were significant, and we regret that one life was lost,” he stated.
He acknowledged that the firefighters had worked really hard throughout the operation and stated that it took them 32 hours and 20 minutes to completely put out the fire.
In response to a question, he stated that the presence of hawkers and the number of people walking this specific stretch made it impossible for the large fire tenders to access from the main Khyndailad area.
However, Bhattacharjee refuted the claim that the hawkers’ obstruction of the fire tenders’ path caused the delay.
Increasewell Mawthoh, a fireman, recalled that when he arrived at the sport he was informed that some individuals were trapped inside.
“We didn’t know which floor they were stuck on. Thanks to the guidance of my superior officers and the head fireman, I was able to track down one individual who was stuck inside. Where the victims were trapped, the fire wasn’t that big,” according to Mawthoh.
He did, however, express some sadness after learning that the person they were able to save had passed away.
“Everyone put forth a great deal of effort and carried out their given roles. Each of them has been given a distinct duty. It was not only me who was at the forefront. Everyone worked together on this. It won’t be appropriate for the credit to go to just one person,” he stated.
Everyone should be commended, according to Mawthoh, for their ability to contain the fire and make sure it didn’t spread to any other properties.
Since everyone made a contribution, he said, the Indian Air Force (IAF), BSF, SDRF, and other troops all merited recognition.
He clarified, “But it is a fact that firefighters were leading from the front.”
He claimed that the main difficulty they had during the procedure was that the CGI sheet covering the top prevented them from spraying water into the base.
“This is the reason why it took us so long to put out the fire,” Mawthoh remarked.
RG Yadav, a firefighter assigned to Shillong F&ES, claimed that over his many years of duty, this was one of the largest fire incidents he had ever seen. He is due to retire in 2025.
“It took a lot of effort on our part to contain the fire. Since there wasn’t an open area, we had a lot of work to do,” Yadav remarked.
Yadav recalled having to smash through the window in order to get to the trapped person’s floor.
“Since the victim was trapped in a remote location, we were unable to use water spraying. I had requested that the firefighter (Increasewell Mawthoh) be given a blanket. I remembered that Mawthoh attempted CPR after saving the victim,” Yadav remarked.
He claimed that moving the person from one building to another requires the use of a stretcher, which is difficult.
“We all fought together to control the fire till the end,” Yadav stated.