Fire in remote Arunachal town kills mother and three children, destroys 24 houses

A fire swept through a remote town in Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India, in the early hours of Thursday, November 12, killing four members of one family — a mother and her three minor children — and destroying 24 houses. The town has no fire station, and the nearest fire engine, based 38 kilometres away, did not arrive in time.

Fire broke out around 2:30 a.m.

The blaze broke out at around 2:30 a.m. in Parsi-Parlo town in Kurung Kumey district and spread quickly to neighbouring houses. Deputy Commissioner Cheechung Chukhu confirmed the dead were a mother and her three minor children — two sons and a daughter. The woman's husband is still unaccounted for, and officials fear the death toll could rise. Preliminary information points to a kitchen as the likely point of origin, but the exact cause has not been established and an inquiry is under way.

Nineteen houses gutted, five damaged

The disaster management office said 19 houses were completely gutted and five others partly damaged, leaving several families homeless. Parsi-Parlo has no fire station of its own, and the fire tender stationed at the district headquarters in Koloriang, about 38 kilometres away, reportedly failed to reach the area in time. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life; Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who represents the state, called the tragedy heartbreaking and urged that relief and rehabilitation for the affected families be the top priority.

Sources: Press Trust of India (via The Hindu); Hindustan Times.