E-Paper
Uttarakhand: Fire engulfs 1863 heritage building in Nainital; 70-yr-old woman killed
The multi-storeyed wooden Old London House was built when Nainital was developed as the summer capital of the United Provinces, an administrative division of British India
Rudrapur: A 70-year-old woman was killed after a fire broke out in the Old London House heritage building in Nainital’s Mallital area on Wednesday night.
The fire broke out around 10 pm on Wednesday. Fire tenders from Nainital, Haldwani, Ramnagar, Bhimtal, Almora, and US Nagar were deployed, along with firefighting units from the Army and Air Force. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) also joined the operation.
The blaze, which engulfed the multi-storeyed wooden Old London House — built in 1863, when Uttarakhand’s Nainital was developed as the summer capital of the United Provinces, an administrative division of British India — was brought under control after a two-and-a-half-hour operation.
The building was the residence of Shanta Devi, sister of historian Ajay Rawat, who lived there with her son Nikhil. Locals managed to rescue Nikhil but were unable to enter other rooms and rescue Devi as the inferno intensified. Later, rescue teams recovered Devi’s body.
Also Read: Uttarakhand forest fires: NDRF rushed to Nainital; officials’ leaves cancelled
“The fire was massive, and the cause will be determined after investigation. One casualty has been reported. All possible relief will be extended to the family,” said Kumaon inspector general of police Riddhim Agarwal, who visited the spot with Nainital senior superintendent of police (SSP) PN Meena.
Police officials said the charred remains were sent for postmortem to confirm the identity. “We have ordered an inquiry into the incident. The possibility of a short circuit or negligence will be looked into. A safety audit of other old buildings in the city will also be carried out,” SSP Meena said.
