Imphal, September 13: State Fire Service Department has estimated the loss in yesterday's fire that devastated around 150 residences and hotels at Uripok Chakrikom to be between Rs 50-60 lakhs.

The fire started from a kiosk selling petrol.

Fire Service Joint Director N Noren said that the gutted houses and the rented hotels belonged to 16 owners.

Process of assessing the exact loss is underway.

He said that fire fighters rushed to the site of the blaze just as it received the report at 6.35 pm yesterday.

The fire fighting continued for more than two hours, he said adding that five water tankers, one foam tender and one jeep with pump from the Fire Services Head Quarters were pressed into service.

A total of 25 fire brigade personnel conducted the fire fighting operation yesterday, he said and denied that the fire personnel reached the site late.

The properties destroyed include five PCOs, motor parts stores, grocery shops, lubricant stores, hotels, cycle workshops and several rented rooms, he said.

Noren further said that six LPG cylinders exploded during the inferno.

One scooter and one Luna Moped were also reduced to cinders.

However, fire personnel saved one Tata Sumo and one jeep.

A private bank was also among the casualties in the fire.

However, the exact cash lost by the bank could not be ascertained.

Three pucca buildings have also been gutted in the fire, he added.

The Joint Director further stated that the Guru Sales Agency lost properties worth Rs 3,62,000, JS Photosate Rs 4,10,000, Andeep Kumar Gupta grocery shop Rs 12,00,000 in the blaze.

Twenty-six bags of illegal ammonia were recovered from the shop of Andeep Kumar.

Ammonia helps in fanning the blaze, he added.

Noren reminded that the State Fire Services was set up in 1957 with a group of police personnel.

In the initial stage, there were 27 firemen, two water tenders, one pump van and one jeep.

The department was separated from the Police Department only on May 1, 1991.He said the present number of posts sanctioned by the Government for the Fire Department is 281.Out of this only 243 are now in service as some have retired.

The HQs has only 70 staffs, he added.

Stating that the State has 13 fire sub-stations, he said that each sub-station should have at least 40 fire fighting personnel.

However, the sub-stations have just 10-13 personnel at the most due to lack of manpower and the State has not been able to procure up-to-date equipments and vehicles due to the financial constraint, he added.

Meanwhile relief camps have been opened by the Imphal Sporting Club, Apunba Tengbang Lup, Helping Hand and Khwai Brahmapur Meira Paibi.

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