Inferno guts 17 shops, 5 residential buildings in Dibrugarh

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: At least 17 shops and 5 residential buildings were engulfed in a devastating fire that broke out in New Market area of Dibrugarh town early on Wednesday. This was not the first time that fire broke out in the area. Earlier, many fire incidents were reported from the locality. According to locals, the blaze started from a spectacles shop at around 3 am before spreading to other shops. The blaze spread to other nearby shops engulfing them in no time. Around 90 per cent of the shops destroyed in the fire were garment shops.

Altogether 19 fire tenders from the local Fire and Emergency Services, Oil India Limited (OIL), Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) and Indian Air Force, Chabua battled for nearly five hours to bring the blaze under control. Although no one was injured, goods and properties worth crores were destroyed in the blaze. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Talking to The Sentinel, Dipjyoti Hatikakati, Dibrugarh district project officer of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), said, "A total of 17 shops were damaged in the fire out of which 14 were fully damaged and three were partially damaged. Five residential buildings were also partially damaged while 11 families were affected by the fire."

Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu and Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra visited the market to assess the damage. Meanwhile, the DC directed officials to take immediate measures for relief and aid to the affected people. The Dibrugarh district administration is preparing a report of the entire incident, including the assessment of loss and damages suffered by the shopkeepers and the residents due to the fire. The residents of New Market area have demanded a borewell in the area to prevent massive fire mishaps.

"We have been demanding to install a borewell in the New Market Area for many years but our demand has fallen on deaf ears. The government or the district administration has done nothing for the installation of borewell in the area. If borewell is installed, major fire accidents can be prevented," said a resident of the area.

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