Rudraprayag:A massive fire broke out in the army camp canteen of the Maratha Light Infantry in Rudraprayag at around 5 pm on Sunday. On being informed, the fire brigade and army personnel reached the spot and brought the fire under control after a hard effort of about an hour. However, till then the goods worth three crores kept in the canteen were gutted in the fire.
District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, who reached the spot, said that according to army officials the fire was caused due to a short circuit. Rajwar added that the whole situation will be clear only after investigation.
SDM Sadar Aparna Dhoundiyal said that only army officers will be able to give all the official information regarding the incident of arson. On receiving the information, Tehsildars were sent to the spot. The cause of the fire is said to be a short circuit. "We were told that at present there is a Light Infantry Maratha Regiment in the district headquarters," he added.
Fortunately, the fire did not spread to other buildings on the backside of the canteen while the police stopped the movement of vehicles on both sides of the highway just before the army camp on the national highway. Meanwhile, the local people are demanding to shift the army canteen from the city to some other place. Local people highlighted that there was an incident of gas leaking in the middle of the city in the past.
Meanwhile, there is no official statement from the army on the matter yet. The whole matter is being investigated by the army.
