Fire Breaks Out at SDO Office in Siliguri, Key Documents Destroyed
Fire Incident at SDO Office
Kolkata, Jan 8: A significant fire erupted at the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) office located on Hill Cart Road in Mallaguri, Siliguri district, resulting in the destruction of vital documents related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
According to law enforcement officials, the blaze broke out unexpectedly early Thursday morning.
The fire completely consumed two rooms within the SDO office, leading to the loss of several computers and important government files stored there. Fortunately, the quick response from the fire brigade prevented a larger disaster.
Reports indicate that security personnel and nearby residents noticed thick black smoke emanating from one of the rooms shortly after midnight.
In response, the security guards attempted to extinguish the flames before alerting the Pradhan Nagar Police Station and the Fire Department. Two fire engines promptly arrived at the scene.
Firefighters managed to control the situation relatively quickly, although detailed assessments of the damage are still pending.
Sources from the Fire Department confirmed that the documents in the affected rooms were engulfed in flames, and investigations into the cause of the fire are currently underway.
SDO Vikas Ruhela arrived at the site shortly after the incident, and inquiries were made by Darjeeling District Magistrate (DM) Manish Mishra and Superintendent of Police (SP) Praween Prakash. Siliguri Mayor Goutam Deb also sought information regarding the event.
In a statement, SDO Ruhela remarked, "At this moment, we cannot provide further details about the fire incident."
Dharmendra Krishna Roy, the Station Officer at the Siliguri fire station, informed local media, "Two fire engines responded and successfully controlled the fire. Initially, we faced challenges entering the building due to the dense smoke. However, the situation is now under control, and we will investigate the extent of the damage and the fire's cause."