Dalit Woman Burnt Alive in Kutara Village Fire. The Disaster Management turned out be a disaster on Foundation Day.

Kutara (Rohru): A massive fire broke out in Kutara village, Spail Valley, on Friday, killing an elderly Dalit woman. The house belonged to Shyam, a Dalit resident.

The fire started a day after the conclusion of a four-day Bhunda Mahayagya in the village. The blaze erupted on the wooden house's upper story.

There followed tripping in the service lines. Fire brigade and ambulance were alerted soon after the fire. The power supply was cut to avoid the tripping and fire incident in the village  which descended into darkness after the light glitz  and dazzle of the Mahayagya 

Villagers were still in a celebratory mood when the fire began. The flames spread rapidly, fueled by wooden structure and the chemical paint in the house done up for the Mahayagya.

Fire tenders and a team led by SDM Rohru arrived late. Villagers had already taken charge of firefighting efforts.

Local residents, led by Pawan, a local policeman  and Jal Shakti employee, fought the fire for over two hours. They used spray drums, diverted water sources, andsix power sprayers used for orchards.

Pawan and five young men risked their lives to stop the fire. They faced falling debris, flames, and collapsing structure.

Women and children joined the efforts. They formed a bucket chain to pump in water supple for spraring to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses.

Two nearby concrete houses acted as a barrier. Villagers sprayed water on them to stop the flames from spreading to nearby wooden houses.

An LPG cylinder stored in the burning house posed a major threat. Pawan and his team managed to throw it out, preventing an explosion. They evacuated their expensive luggage from the homes fearing the fire could spread.

The late response from the fire department angered villagers. SDM Rohru admitted the fire team reached late fron Rohru to handle the situation in time 

By the time the fire brigade set up their equipment, the villagers had controlled the fire.

Shyam’s family lost all their belongings in the fire. The family was left in shock over the missing elderly woman feared burnt alive.

Villagers criticized the local disaster management system. They called it a “complete disaster.”