Massive fire destroys house in Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar: A massive fire broke out late Sunday night in the North Rampur Kanthaltala area under Rampur-I Gram Panchayat, Tufanganj-II block, completely gutting the house of Ratan Saha and partially damaging the neighbouring home of Gopal Saha.

Local residents alerted the fire brigade, after which a unit from Barobisha Fire Station and police from Jorai Outpost rushed to the scene. The fire became uncontrollable due to the illegal storage of flammable substances like petrol, diesel and kerosene in Ratan Saha’s house.

Despite the efforts of firefighters, the blaze raged for nearly two hours before being brought under control with the help of two fire engines.

A fire official confirmed that the illegal storage intensified the fire’s severity. Initial investigation suggests a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.

Losses are estimated to be several lakhs, though the exact damage remains unclear as the house owner declined to comment.