HT Digital
AIZAWL, Mar 17: A huge fire engulfed Aizawl’s City Centre Treasury market at about 3:30 am today, March 17, destroying half of the commercial complex.
The market, located adjacent to the Assembly House, is an important business hub for local entrepreneurs. Firefighters fought the intense flames for several hours, averting further damage. There have been no reported casualties.
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The fire destroyed 60 of the 120 small enterprises trading in the market. Sellers of fresh vegetables, garments, and domestic goods incurred significant losses since their stores were destroyed. Neighboring the destroyed shops was the PAMRA office in an adjacent building, which was also razed to the ground. The inferno did not, however, spread to the top floors of the building, saving some sections of the building.
Although the authorities are still unsure as to why the fire started, preliminary reports indicate that it could have been ignited by a bonfire started by drug users who usually seek refuge in the market at night. Such a possibility has raised alarm regarding the security of public places and stringent enforcement to avert such accidents in the future.
This blaze is the most recent in a series of calamitous fires that have tormented Mizoram. As per the Environment, Forests & Climate Change Department, the state saw 3,612 fires in 2024 alone, burning almost 4,000 hectares of land. Of these, 116 were forest fires, whereas most—3,496 incidents—happened because of jhum cultivation, an age-old slash-and-burn agricultural practice.
Incident of fire loss in Mizoram has been profound throughout the years. The Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services announced that between the period 2018-2024, there were 278 destroyed homes at the cost of 22 human lives. For 2023 alone, there were 40 burnt houses that resulted in the death of four individuals. Property loss was greatest in 2021, at 71 homes lost, while in 2022 there was a record 15 fire casualties.
