Fire ravages Mokokchung market again

Firefighters battle blazes with what they have 

Morung Express News
Mokokchung | April 21

A fire broke out at a building opposite the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) Complex in Mokokchung town at around 12 noon on Tuesday, spreading to adjoining shops and houses and causing significant damage.

According to Bendangmayang, Chairman of Dilong Ward, the fire is suspected to have originated from a kutcha structure housing shops in the front and residential rooms at the back. He stated that shopkeepers were initially unaware of the fire, and it was passersby who alerted them after noticing smoke emanating from the building. “The fire most likely started from one of the back rooms where a shopkeeper resides. However, the exact cause is yet to be ascertained,” he said, adding that the building was old and had ageing electrical wiring.

The kutcha structure was completely gutted in the blaze, while an adjacent building suffered major internal damage on the first floor. Another nearby building sustained damage to its exterior. No casualties were reported. 

Bendangmayang noted that members of the public played a crucial role during the incident by moving vehicles parked in the vicinity, particularly as the area falls within a busy market zone.

Response and challenges
According to Keleseho Stephen Tsukru, Officer-in-Charge of Fire Station North, Mokokchung, the fire station received the call at 12:36 pm and responded within minutes, reaching the site shortly thereafter.

A total of four fire tenders, three from Fire Station North and one from Fire Station South, were deployed, making nine trips in total. More than 20 personnel were involved in the operation. The fire was brought under control after approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes.

“One building was completely burned, another partially, and a third was also affected,” Tsukru said.

A total of nine shops were fully damaged, while five others were partially affected, he added. Assessment of losses is ongoing. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. “On initial questioning, the parties mentioned that the building was old and the wiring outdated. Often, there is a tendency to attribute such incidents to short circuits, but we are working to determine the exact cause,” he said.

Tsukru also pointed to a delay in intimation as a key challenge. “After reaching the spot, it appeared that we received the call a little late,” he said, adding that despite minor traffic congestion near the Police Point area, the team was already in action by 12:44 pm.

Recurring warnings, limited change
Tuesday’s fire comes over two years after the MMC Shopping Complex fire 2024, which devastated the town’s main commercial centre and left over 130 business owners without livelihoods. In its aftermath, discussions were held on installing water reservoirs at strategic locations. Those plans, according to the ward chairman, remain unrealised due to financial constraints. “Electric wiring should not be manipulated without proper expertise. Electricity does not compromise,” he said.

Awareness week ends, questions remain
The incident comes just days after Fire Service Week 2026, observed nationwide to promote fire safety awareness. On the ground, however, a different picture was visible. Fire personnel battling the blaze were largely seen without full protective gear, operating primarily with hard hats.

“We are using whatever has been issued to us. What we see in movies, the advanced equipment, does not reach us,” Tsukru said. The department, he added, has been conducting awareness programmes across schools, markets, banks, hospitals and churches, with focus on the MMC area. But public response, he admitted, has been limited. “At the end of the day, we cannot force people.”