SHILLONG, AUG. 1: Around eight shanty houses were gutted after a major fire swept through a cluster of dwellings at Rilbong in Shillong on Saturday afternoon near the present campus of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, triggering panic among residents. The blaze threatened to spread through the closely packed settlement before a swift response by Fire and Emergency Services personnel brought it under control.
Following the incident, five to six fire tenders rushed to the spot and battled the flames for nearly an hour before bringing the fire under control, preventing it from spreading to more houses in the locality where several families reside.
According to police, the fire originated in an old shanty house where no one was present at the time of the incident. The flames quickly spread to adjoining shanty houses, causing extensive damage before firefighters succeeded in containing the blaze.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. Quoting the officer, police said, “The exact reason for the fire is yet to be ascertain. This started from someone’s house where nobody was present at that time. It is a very old house. Shanty. The origin was from someone’s house.”
Syiem said the extent of the damage was yet to be assessed. No casualties or injuries had been reported till the filing of this report.
Asked about the losses, he said officials were carrying out an assessment of the damage suffered by the affected families.
