A major fire broke out in a hostel at Jagannathpur village under Bhadrak town police limits on Wednesday. Though no casualty has been reported so far, the fire has completely gutted 14 rooms of the hostel and reduced many books, furniture, laptops and other articles worth lakhs to ashes.
Sources said the fire started from a gas cylinder while food was being prepared. The fire spread quickly as the hostel roofs were made from highly inflammable thatch. Within no time the fire devoured 14 rooms in quick succession.
On being informed, two fire engines reached the spot and doused the fire.
“On receiving information about the fire accident from the control room, we immediately rushed to the spot. Since there is no water body in the locality, we had difficulties in controlling the fire. However, we managed to douse the inferno, though all the 14 rooms of the hostel were reduced to ashes by then,” said Fire Officer Harekrushna Mahapatra.
A local resident, Mrunmayee Das, said books, computers, laptops, furniture etc. worth lakhs of rupees belonging to the students have completely been gutted.
In a separate incident, panic gripped the premises of Bhadrak district Collector’s old office after a transformer inside the campus caught fire. However, fire fighters tamed the flame before it could spread. Since the campus houses offices of Sub-Collector, Tehsildar and several other important authorities, the situation would have been different if the fire spread far and wide, said some eyewitnesses.