Major fire averted as secondhand cloth godown burst into flames

June 11, 2023 43 Views No Comment

Residents concerned on how fire-fighters risk their lives for lack of safety gears

Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 11

A major disaster was averted at Lakeview colony, Dimapur after a fire broke out from a secondhand goods godown in the wee hours of Saturday.

The godown from where the fire broke out was stacked with hundreds of bales of second hand clothing. And just adjacent to it was another godown belonging to Bharat Gas Agency.

According to reports from people residing near the godown, the fire may have occurred around 1 am. A resident of Lakeview colony whose house lies adjacent to the godown sensed the fire at around 1:30 am after she saw black smoke bellowing out from the godown and immediately alarmed the neighbors. The fire brigade was also informed.

With tall buildings standing only meters away from the godown and chances of these structures catching fire just minutes away, residents, joined by colony youths scrambled to douse the fire with everything on their hands.

The fire was so intense as the godown stacked with airtight bales of clothes went into flames, it took more than 5 hours by four fire tenders along with emergency personnel from Central Fire Station and West Police Station and multiple trips to replenish water to finally douse the fire and stop it from spreading.

Residents said even the water stock at the fire brigade reservoir was drained out that fire trucks had to draw water from a pond in the locality. A JCB was also pressed into service to breakdown the walls of the godown in order to release the heat and fire. It was only around 8 am in the morning that the residents could heave a sigh of relief.

“Had the fire had spread, it would have been a major disaster considering the number of buildings in tight array just a few feets away from the godown,” stated Temjen, who resides only a hand-spread away from the godown.

According to initial estimates, crores worth of properties is said to have been destroyed at the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The fire incident also brought to the fore how emergency personnel here in the state are risking their lives without adequate protection kits.

It is standard for a fire-fighter to wear gears which include fire helmets, turnout pants and jackets, self-contained breathing apparatus, gloves and boots since firefighting is an extremely dangerous occupation.

A resident of Lakeview colony observed the fire-fighters were braving such highly toxic inflammable environment without any safety gears. “All they had on was their cloth uniforms while some wearing helmets. Other than that they had no other gears to address their safety.”

“I admire their dedication to their duty, but it is very dangerous to be in front of a raging inferno without any safety gears, and to be inhaling all those dangerous fumes,” she further stated.

The resident also pointed out that it was standard for an Ambulance to come with the fire tenders during such fire situations to deal with human emergencies, which was also missing.