Shillong: A thick blanket of black flames engulfed the Lumshyiap-Chandmari locality in Shillong on Saturday evening, resulting in significant damage to property owned by the PHE department.
Swift action by the Fire and Emergency Services helped contain the fire, with local authorities also taking precautionary measures such as cutting off power supply until the situation was brought under control.
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, there are suspicions that it may have originated from the nearby forest.
Phira Khongphai, the head of the Lumshyiap locality, revealed that the fire likely started around 2 pm, speculating that it may have been ignited by children playing with fire, eventually spreading to the PHE Store where HDPE pipes were stored.
Rolls of HDPE pipes melted into flames, resulting in significant losses.
A Sunn, executive engineer of PHE, estimated the incurred loss to be approximately 80-85 lakhs.
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In response to the incident, Sunn expressed intentions to engage in discussions with local authorities regarding the handover of the property, enabling them to implement proper fencing measures to prevent future occurrences.
Khongphai emphasized the need for proactive measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, announcing plans to convene a meeting of the executive committee to discuss and implement relevant measures and advisories.
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