4:00 am Update: Building in Panpatty still under fire; “Rubber stacked inside is posing a challenge,” DC Keerthi Jalli

Silchar has proved again that it is a 140-year unplanned mess. At the heart of the town, a fire broke at around 7:00 pm and it is 4:00 am, the flames are still rising. A gigantic warehouse located at the shadow of an ordinary footwear store caught fire last evening. What looked like a small store from outside, happened to be a warehouse spread across at least 5000 square feet. At the end of which there is a 3000 square feet three-storey RCC building. Adjacent to the warehouse is a 4-storey residential complex. Amidst all of that, there is no refuge area, no fire alarm, not even a single fire extinguisher. The passage to a four-storey building is a meager 2.5 feet gully.

The firemen, when they first arrived saw a maze in front of them. One climbed up the roof while another one tried to access through the neighboring buildings. But, most of the gates were locked and access was denied. It was chaos and carnage, and at the heart of it were a few firemen dealing with fine margins.

Assam Fire and Emergency Service were the first ones to get into action, followed by ONGC, Indian Oil, Indian Air Force, and Assam Rifles. “After we got to know about the fire, we informed all of them as we wanted maximum deployment,” informed deputy commissioner Keerthi Jalli who along with the Superintendent of Police, BL Meena was at the spot.

The Indian Air Force’s Crash Fire Tender was deployed to bring the fire under control. The CFT splashes a mixture of foam, water, and dry chemical powders. The combination did manage to restrict the fire to one building, but the flames were still rising. “Material stacked inside the warehouse is rubber and that is posing a challenge for us,” said the deputy commissioner. She added, “The firemen are not getting access to the warehouse. The ground plus two (G+2) building that is under fire is connected via wooden stairs. Those have burnt and now the floors got disconnected causing more problems.”

The administration has asked the residents of the nearby buildings to evacuate. Most of them have left with their precious belongings. “We have also removed all the LPG cylinders in the nearby buildings,” Jalli informed. She too observed that the area is congested and both SP and she lauded the efforts of the firemen at work.

The DC also said that corrective measures need to be taken. Most of the congestion is due to the construction of buildings in an unplanned manner. However, DC added, “The priority now is to ensure that the fire is brought under control and it is not spreading further.”