A MAJOR TRAGEDY AVERTED
The Senior fire officer along with Gangtok fire brigade staff, headed by deputy station officer, rushed to the spot and Residents near Petrol Pump immediately contacted the fire brigade control room on finding that it was a major fire.Following the emergency call , The fire tenders and water tankers rushed to the petrol pump The large quantity of petrol said to be there at the pump when the fire broke out and a major portion of the fuel caught fire. The cause of fire is not yet known but There prevailed panic and chaos in the area especially in nearby houses and buildings . It is reported fire was not in main storage area of petrol pump.
Gangtok: A massive fire that broke out at a petrol pump near Joy Bell School,Tadong sparked panic and a traffic jam in the area on Sunday Evening. No one was injured in the incident as the fire brigade personnel controlled the blaze within two hours, thus averting a major tragedy .The Sikkim fire brigade personnel controlled the blaze with help from army personnel with at least three fire brigade vehicles reaching the spot including from one from Singtam on way. Thick black smoke at the Khangari petrol pump on National Highway inTadong area was visible from a considerable distance.
The fire broke out at first at the servicing point of Khangri petrol pump at Upper Tadong, above convoy ground and it partially caught the adjoining building too. The servicing centre and office of the Khagri Petrol Pump gutted into ashes. There was every possibility of spreading the fire towards the petrol pump and could be a great disaster had the police personnel and fire fighters not swung into action in time. The petrol pump was narrowly escaped and averted by the hard and brave effort of the police personnel and fire fighters, otherwise the disaster could be beyond imagination .
The black smoke filled the sky of whole Tadong area. The petrol pump was only 25 to 30 feet in distance from the incident and everybody was afraid of catching the fire by petrol pump any time. Most of the people even evacuated their houses around the area and ran away from the scene by vehicle or on foot towards long distance. By the time the news reached to whole of Sikkim, many people gathered at the spot from in and around Gangtok in huge number and police had to make extra vigil to safeguard them making the security cordon and it was controlled by 9.30pm.
The black smoke filled the sky of whole Tadong area. The petrol pump was only 25 to 30 feet in distance from the incident and everybody was afraid of catching the fire by petrol pump any time. Most of the people even evacuated their houses around the area and ran away from the scene by vehicle or on foot towards long distance. By the time the news reached to whole of Sikkim, many people gathered at the spot from in and around Gangtok in huge number and police had to make extra vigil to safeguard them making the security cordon and it was controlled by 9.30pm.
The Senior fire officer along with Gangtok fire brigade staff, headed by deputy station officer, rushed to the spot and Residents near Petrol Pump immediately contacted the fire brigade control room on finding that it was a major fire.Following the emergency call , The fire tenders and water tankers rushed to the petrol pump The large quantity of petrol said to be there at the pump when the fire broke out and a major portion of the fuel caught fire. The cause of fire is not yet known but There prevailed panic and chaos in the area especially in nearby houses and buildings . It is reported fire was not in main storage area of petrol pump.