By Felix Anthony

Lazu: The Catholic diocese of Miao has rushed its social service team to a village where a massive fire accident killed two persons and rendered 500 homeless.

“This was the biggest fire accident I have witnessed in my life,” Sethok Thinyan, a youth leader and member of the Church team that visited the affected village, told Matters India.

According to him, all houses in Longliang village in Tirap district are made of bamboos with thatched roofs and built adjacent to one another. “A small spark aided by the usual strong wind could spell a doom for the whole village. The fire tenders too could not arrive due to the remoteness of the village,” the youth leader explained.

The fire on March 18 also destroyed the food grains saved for the rest of the year, he added.

Expressing shock at the accident, Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao has appealed to people to pray for the victims and to express solidarity with them during this time “extreme pain.”

“My thoughts are with the people of Longliang. I am deeply saddened to know the magnitude of the loss and pain the fire has caused. I appeal to everyone to come forward to help the people of Longliang in whatever way you can,” the Salesian prelate said.

The bishop asked the Seva Kendra Arunachal East, the diocesan social service wing, to help the people with immediate relief materials. He has also requested the priests and nuns working around Lazu circle to provide the people with whatever they could do support the people.

The cause of the fire could not be ascertained yet.

The fire that raged for nearly two hours reduced to ashes 114 of the total 136 houses in the village bordering Myanmar. The victims are a bedridden 65-year-old man and a 4-year-old girl.

There is fear that more causalities may emerge once the people are able to rumble through the ashes and debris, Thinyan said.

Longliang, belonging to the Ollo Tribe under Lazu circle, is some 45 km southeast of Khonsa, the headquarters of Tirap district.

The Church team says the survivors are now staying with families that were not affected. They now need basic amenities such as utensils, tents for making temporary accommodations, food and clothing.