Fulbari, 25th December: A devastating fire broke out early Thursday morning, gutting a room of a house in the Paschim Dhanatala area under Fulbari II Gram Panchayat.
According to local sources, the house belongs to Krishnapada Sarkar, who lives there with his wife and three children. Sarkar is a fisherman by profession. On Thursday morning, he had left home to go fishing, while other family members were outside the house at the time of the incident.
Suddenly, neighbours noticed flames rising from the room. Within moments, the fire spread, causing extensive damage.
Local residents rushed to the spot and attempted to douse the flames. However, by then, all items kept inside the room, including furniture, utensils, clothes and important documents, were reduced to ashes.
Family members said they survive on small earnings from daily work, and the fire has destroyed their belongings, leaving them with nothing.
On receiving information, police from New Jalpaiguri police station reached the spot and started an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.