IMPHAL, June 8: Property worth around Rs 20 lakh were destroyed in a devastating fire at Naoremthong along the Nambul River bank this early morning around 2.45.
The fire was put off around 6am by fire tenders with the help of locals.
Locals said they heard a loud explosion, and when they come out from their homes, found the shops on fire.
Soon they informed the State Fire Service and rushed out to control the fire.
The fire was finally put down by 6am, they said.
According to a local, the fire had devastated altogether eight shops including hotels, grocery shops, workshop and a fish centre.
Five of the shops were totally razed to the ground.
A local source identified the five shops as a grocery belonging to Naoroibam Goroba of Naoremthong Bazar, who lost property worth around Rs 10 lakh, grocery owned by Chingabam Indira of Takyel Khogbal Mayai Leikai, hotel owned by Khumanthem Jadumani of Naoremthong Bazar who lost around Rs two lakhs worth of property and a workshop of Kh Ibochouba of Naoremthong bazar.
20 two wheelers inside the workshop were also damaged, said a source.
The local source also said that a fish centre cum CD parlour owned by Oinam Binodkumar was also damaged in the fire.
A desktop computer and a laptop computer which were inside the fish centre were also totally damaged in the fire, informed the source.
The source of the fire is yet to be identified, even as locals said there was a load shedding at the time of the incident.