Fire at Hapoli Market

The year has not even completed its first quarter than this Apatani Plateau witnessed another fire accident (3^rd in these three months) devastating 6 houses at the heart of Hapoli Township.

Friday the 9^th, time around 2215 hrs

It was just after 2200 hrs; I had finished watching the programme “The Great Indian Laughter Champions-Dwitiya” on Star One and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard commotion outside. I thought, what’s this commotion about at this odd hour, when people usually are in deep slumber. I looked out through my window.

“Oh! My God, it’s F-I-R-E”, I shouted. Looking at the flames through my window, it appeared that the entire market area was engulfed by fire.

I rushed out to the main road and found that the people were rushing towards Club Road. I too ran along with them to see if I could be of any help in containing the fire or helping the people and their belongings to be shifted to a safer place. Lots of people had gathered there and were trying to contain the fire by putting water. Some were helping the people shift their belongings to a safer place. But ironically, no fire fighters from fire department were seen. The people were frantically trying to contain the fire but with the housing arrangement the market area of Hapoli Township has, the fire was spreading like wild fire and it was almost certain that without the help of fire fighters from fire department, the fire would wipe out the entire market area.

Finally, though after much delay and to the relief of people the fire fighters arrived and the fire was able to be contained and doused by 1.30 a.m. the next day. The devastation-6 houses completely gutted and several others partially damaged to contain the fire. Luckily no human casualty was there.

I returned home wondering-wouldn’t the damage been less had the township been planned properly with proper guidelines for construction of commercial or residential buildings? Had the fire fighters arrived in time, wouldn’t the destruction been minimised? Would the public, the politicians and the administrators wake up and ponder over the need to re-structure and re-plan the entire township after these incidents?

Sunday the 11^th, time around 1530 hrs

Just after a day of fire accident, people’s effort prevented another fire accident from happening in the market area of Hapoli Township.

It all started with leaking gas at Gupta Sweets but the cautious people were able to contain it before it could become unmanageable and as usual fire fighters arrived just after the fire has been doused.

The devastated houses

Update: Some more pics shot with mob-cam on the night of inferno