SHILLONG: Five shops were gutted at Mawlai Nongkwar, Block-8 along the Shillong-Guwahati road, at around 5:30 am on Sunday.
Morning joggers saw the shops engulfed in fire and alerted the residents of the locality.
Locals alleged that fire brigade station at Lum Mawnei did not respond to their call initially and it was only after an hour that the firemen arrived.
FF Kharbuki, local head of Block 9 said, “The firemen were trying to extinguish the fire on the side that was not gutted. Moreover, the water was insufficient and the firemen had to go back to fetch more water during which other shops were also engulfed in the fire.”
The reason for the fire remained unknown.
Mawlai MLA, Embhahlang Syiemlieh visited the affected families.
