A family at Umling village in Ri-Bhoi district suffered heavy losses after a fire broke out and completely destroyed their house in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to the homeowner, Briliancy Tangsang, the incident occurred at around 2:00 to 2:30 AM while she was inside the house with her two sons, aged six and three years.
She said she suddenly noticed a bright glow and smelled smoke coming from the kitchen area. Upon checking, she discovered that a fire had already broken out and was spreading rapidly.
Acting swiftly, Briliancy first ensured the safety of her two children by taking them out of the house before seeking help from her elder brother who lives nearby.
Villagers and neighbours rushed to the scene and attempted to control the blaze, but the fire had intensified and could not be contained.
The incident was immediately reported to the Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Nongpoh, who arrived promptly and managed to extinguish the flames before they could spread to nearby houses.
Although no injuries or casualties were reported, the family suffered extensive losses as the house was completely gutted in the fire.
Expressing concern over the incident, the village headman, Comenson Wahlang, said the family had suffered a major setback and called for support for the affected household.
Following the incident, the area MDC, Rona Khymdeit, visited the family to express solidarity and assured them that efforts would be made to mobilise assistance to help them recover from the tragedy.
