On 27 February 2023, a massive fire broke in

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

, the capital of Nagaland causing complete damage to Mao Market and NN Market, one of the biggest commercial areas in Kohima. Over 200 shops were gutted which is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit as per police report. The incident took place on the

polling day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ar ...

of the

2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election Legislative Assembly elections were held in Nagaland on 27 February 2023 to elect all 60 members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 2 March 2023. Background The tenure of 13th Nagala ...

Market

The Mao Market was opened on 20 May 1999 by

Neiphiu Rio Neiphiu Guolhoulie Rio (born 11 November 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 9th Chief Minister of Nagaland. Rio has also served as Chief Minister for three separate terms (2002–07, 2007–12, 2012–14 and 2018–till date), making h ...

, the then-Home Minister of Nagaland. It housed a variety of shops including vegetables, meat products, groceries, clothing and cosmetics.

Fire

The fire reportedly broke out at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 27 February 2023. The fire was first spotted on the ground floor of the three-storeyed Mao Market commercial building. As the building housed structures made of wood, the fire spread quickly, destroying the entire wooden structure and causing substantial damage to the adjacent houses in the area. Locals alleged that the fire services failed to arrive in time though the area is located opposite to the Nagaland Fire and Emergency services station, further aggravating the situation. Around 150

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

s and over 20 firetenders from across Kohima, including those from the

Assam Rifles The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It guards the Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam rifles is the oldest paramilitary force ...

and fire engines from

Khuzama Khuzama is a Southern Angami Naga village on the inter-state border with Manipur located 28 km south of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. Demographics Khuzama is situated in Jakhama circle of Kohima District in Nagaland. As per the Popula ...

Chiephobozou Kohima District () is a List of districts of Nagaland, district of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the home of the Angami Naga, Angami Naga people, Nagas. As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Nagaland (out of then-List of d ...

Chümoukedima Chümoukedima (), formerly spelled Chumukedima, is a municipality in the Chümoukedima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Nagaland after Dimapur and Kohima. Chümoukedima was designated as th ...

and

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

were brought in to fight the blaze. Patients at the adjacent Bethel Medical Centre were evacuated to Oking Hospital. At its peak, the inferno rose to over 80 feet and the flames were visible from many parts of Kohima and surrounding towns and villages.

Aftermath

More than 200 shops in the commercial area and several private residences were destroyed. The next day, 28 February, Nagaland

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

visited the site and met with the affected families whose shops and residences were burnt down.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohima fire, 2023 2023 fires in Asia 2020s in Kohima Building and structure fires in India February 2023 events in India Kohima