SHILLONG : A major tragedy was averted after a massive fire broke out at a warehouse in Demseiniong on Tuesday afternoon, with police, fire services and central forces joining hands to bring the blaze under control.

The fire was reported at around 2:30 pm, a time when schools were closing and the area was witnessing heavy traffic movement.

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said fire tenders reached the spot within seven to ten minutes of receiving the alert, helping authorities respond swiftly to the emergency.

“It happened around 2:30 pm and as you know schools close at that time, so there is a lot of rush, but we tried our best to get fire tenders on time. The fire tenders in fact within 7-10 minutes were here,” Syiem said.

Around six fire tenders from the Meghalaya State Police Fire Service were deployed, while personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF), Assam Rifles and the Indian Air Force also joined the firefighting operation.

The warehouse, owned by Rajesh Syiem, reportedly contained a large quantity of highly inflammable materials, including mattresses, synthetic materials, chairs and carpets, which were damaged in the fire.

Police said the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be established. However, a short circuit or cooking activity inside the warehouse are among the suspected possibilities.

“We are yet to ascertain what caused the fire, but we have spoken to the owners, probably a possibility of short circuit or probably somebody was cooking in the warehouse,” the SP said.

Syiem said the immediate priority was to prevent casualties and stop the flames from spreading to neighbouring buildings.

Police cordoned off the affected area, regulated traffic to ensure easy access for fire tenders, evacuated nearby buildings and removed gas cylinders from the premises as a precautionary measure.

No casualties were reported, while the extent of damage to the warehouse is yet to be assessed. The area remained cordoned off as emergency personnel continued their operations.