CHANDEL, May 13: A fire that broke out at Tengnoupal village in Chandel district this morning completely gutted a residential house besides destroying properties worth lakhs of rupees.
According to villagers, the semi pucca residential house of S.Thangkhohem Mate, ex- Rifleman of Manipur Rifle was engulfed by fire and destroyed all the properties worth around 70 lakh of rupees at around 8 in the morning.
Cause of the fire is suspected due to short circuit of electricity.
As soon as the fire broke out, villagers who were nearby the site rushed to douse the inferno with water. 12 Assam Rifles and police personnel stationed at Tengnoupal also joined the villagers in fighting the fire but could not douse it off.
Apart from razing the house to ground, the fire also gutted down one license SBBL gun and several documents including service books, vehicle registration card, educational certificates and police service book which belong to son-in-law of the house owner among others.
Meanwhile, Tengnoupal Village Authority and KSO Tengnoupal Block expressed gratitude to all those who helped in fighting the fire particularly the 12 AR and Tengnoupal Police personnel for extending their helping hands.
Following the incident, the village authority and the students` body appealed to the State government to open a fire brigade out post at Tengnoupal or at least attached some fire fighting personnel and vehicles at Tengnoupal Police Station at the earliest.
Meanwhile, 12 Assam Rifles of 26 Sector Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (South) carried out a swift and spontaneous rescue and relief operation at the site of the inferno.
According to PRO IGAR (S), On 13 May 2016 at around 0815 hrs, due to short circuit in one of the houses located in Tengnoupal village a huge fire was set off.
Observing the flames and large amount of smoke emanating from amidst the village, 12 Assam Rifles immediately activated officer led teams comprising Fire Fighting Party, Quick Action Team, Medical personnel and Water Bowsers within 5 minutes and rushed to the spot at 0820 hrs. The team`s swift and bold action got the fire under control and saved precious lives of the affected persons.
The Assam Rifles personnel could manage to remove two gas cylinders out of three which further helped neutralize the possibility of a major disaster, besides rescuing the house owner. AR with its two water bowsers and fire extinguishers extinguished the fire in an hour.
The injured person was provided immediate first aid at the unit hospital of 12 Assam Rifles. One Junior Commissioned Officer of the unit also suffered minor injuries during the rescue operation, the release said.
