Shillong, Oct 20: A massive fire broke out at a Mithaas outlet inside North-Eastern Hill University’s (NEHU) main campus on Tuesday morning, completely gutting the shop and causing extensive damage to a shopping complex near Gate No. 3. No injuries were reported.
The fire broke out around 11 am at the outlet, located on the first floor of the complex. According to the shop owner, the establishment was open at the time, and staff members had prepared sweets and were placing them on the counter for the day’s sale when they noticed the blaze.
The owner said no cooking was underway when the fire started and suspected an LPG cylinder blast.
Although neither the university nor the fire department had officially confirmed the cause, eyewitnesses and staff members at neighbouring shops said they heard two loud noises before noticing the flames. They suspected the sounds were caused by LPG cylinder blasts.
There were no customers inside the outlet when the fire broke out. Shop staff reportedly tried to douse the flames using fire extinguishers, but the equipment failed to work.
The blaze completely gutted the Mithaas outlet and caused substantial damage to the shopping complex, particularly its roof, much of which was destroyed. The roof’s wooden framework is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
The complex houses three restaurants, an ATM kiosk, a stationery shop, a barber shop and several other commercial establishments.
Fire department personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. Damage to the Mithaas outlet has been estimated at around Rs 20 lakh, while the overall losses to the complex and other establishments are yet to be assessed.
Neither the fire department nor NEHU had issued an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.
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