Shimla, May 20
Himachal Pradesh witnessing a dry spell and scorching heatwave is witnessing trigger of number of fire incidents leading to massive loss of life and property for last three days.
A Major fire broke out at Industrial area Shoghi near Kavarachoki outskirts of Shimla town on Sunday. Huge infernos of fire and smoke engulfed the industries for many hours.
Last night a devastating fire engulfed Bhadech Panchayat, adjacent to Junga Tehsil Headquarters, wreaking havoc on nearly five hundred apple plants along with other property.
This disaster, locally termed the ‘Bhishma fire’, severely damaged apple orchards, a cow shed, a residential house, and farmers’ hay sheds.
Naib Tehsildar of Junga, Inder Kumar Chauhan, confirmed the extent of the damage after visiting the site, talking to the affected families, and instructing officials to assess the losses accurately.
The fire, allegedly caused by arson, inflicted substantial ddamage to the apple orchards owned by Anil Thakur, Heera Singh, and Aminchand in Bahli Khanlog, a revenue village of Bhadech Panchayat.
Anil Thakur, a former head and one of the most affected gardeners, reported that around 250 apple plants in his orchard were destroyed. Most of these plants were laden with apples, predominantly of the rootstock and M-9 varieties.
Thakur recounted that the fire originated from Bahli Nala and quickly spread to Khari Dhaliyana and Bhadech, reducing many gardens, crop fields, and grasslands to ashes. The local community had to exert significant effort to eventually control the fire.
Kamla’s cowshed in Bahali Khanlog was completely burned down in the infernos. Fortunately, the cattle were rescued in time and were unharmed. However, Om Chand’s residential house did not escape unscathed; two rooms at the back were extensively damaged.
The fire also destroyed the nets on the apple plants, exacerbating the farmers’ losses.
The incident has left the local community in a state of shock and dismay. Naib Tehsildar Inder Kumar Chauhan assured the residents that a detailed report on the damages would be submitted to the government for further action.
He emphasized the need for a thorough evaluation to ensure appropriate compensation for the affected families.
Local Patwari Suresh Thakur is actively involved in the damage assessment process. Despite the severity of the fire, the Panchayat House and Patwar Circle Bhadech were fortunately spared from destruction. This near-miss added a layer of relief amid the widespread devastation.
On Friday a 66 yrs old man also died at Jogindernagar in Mandi when he was combating a cowshed fire.
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