Shillong: Fire in city brings life to a halt; one dead

The city of Meghalaya, Shillong, had a big fire at a furniture dealership on Saturday, and one person died of suffocation inside a godown. At approximately 1:20 pm, witnesses reported seeing a fire on Thana Road, close to the Sadar Police Station.

Sampath is the name of the deceased; he was the manager of a city electronics store. He and a porter were at the godown picking up supplies for delivery. According to Sampath's employer, Suraj Bajoria, the porter departed, but he stayed behind and became trapped in the building when the fire started.

Fire tenders were immediately sent to the scene and put to work, although getting to the scene was extremely difficult due to the tight spaces and crowded area.

In order to put out the fire, the Fire Services department worked alongside fire tenders and water tankers from the Army, Air Force, and BSF.  The fire had not subsided by the time the report was filed.

According to FG Kharshiing, Inspector-General of Police (Fire and Emergency Service), the fire originated from a godown, based on first assessment.
"The cause is unknown to us. We will need to look at the reason," he stated.
He acknowledged the efforts of the Army and Air Force on Saturday and stated that although the fire has been contained, it has not been completely put out.

He attributed the delay in completely extinguishing the fire on some roof sheets that were obstructing the water's ability to enter the building's crevices.