A fire broke out at Naharlagun Daily Market near Itanagar on Oct 25

On October 25, a massive fire broke out in the Naharlagun daily market near Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The Naharlagun Daily Market is the oldest in the state which is located 14 kilometres from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, close to the police and fire stations.

The reports state that when the shop owners saw the fire, they hurried to the nearby fire station but found no one there. Additionally, the fire engines were devoid of water when the emergency workers arrived. The staff had to go a considerable distance to refuel the engines, and they could only return with water at around five in the morning, when the fire had already completely destroyed a significant portion of the market.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this occurrence, whereas the Naharlagun Daily Market flames engulfed 700 stores. Investigations are being done to determine the fire's source, which is currently unknown.

Senior officers of District Administration, DDMO, Police and Fire Brigade were present at the spot of the fire accident. They arranged immediate relief for shopkeepers. Their account numbers were collected. A relief camp was set up at Govt Higher Secondary School, Naharlagun. Some shopkeepers were staying in their shops which were burnt later on they were accommodated in a relief camp.

Sources further revealed that the officer in charge and the staffer in charge of the night duty of the Naharlagun fire station failed to discharge their duties effectively. The Arunachal Government has suspended two officials for alleged dereliction of duty during the fire incident.