M A I N   N E W S

Major fire in ammunition dump
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29
A major fire broke out in the Mamoon cantonment’s ammunition dump tonight. The fire broke out shortly after 9 p.m. Leaping flames lit the entire cantonment and the nearby town of Pathankot. There was a deafening sound of blasts all around.

The Subdivisional Magistrate of Pathankot, Mr K.K. Garg, quoting Army sources said the fire which started at about 9 p.m. was under control and there was no reason for panic. Though occasional blasts were still heard in the town, fire tenders from the Shahpur Kandi project, the Air Force, the Army, Gurdaspur, the Pathankot Municipal Committee and other nearby areas had been pressed into service.

The fire, Mr Garg said, broke out in one corner of the ammunition depot. Soon the entire town was lit with flames as blasts accompanied by balls of fire engulfed the cantonment area.

The Army authorities were not available for comment. Mr Garg said initially due to panic some families had left the town. He said some residents had even visited the cantonment area to see the situation for themselves.

The entire area had been cordoned off and the damage control exercise was in full swing. Senior Army and civil authorities were camping at the site to oversee fire-fighting operations. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr B. Vikram, had also reached the site.

The civil authorities were unable to say anything about the cause of the fire. The chances of a sabotage, however, cannot be ruled out. Intelligence sources maintain that the involvement of the ISI or some Kashmir-based militant organisation was possible.

This is the second major fire in an ammunition depot in north India after a devastating fire broke out at Kargil’s ammunition dump in 1999.

The sources said immediately after blasts were heard in Pathankot, there was panic and many fled from the town apprehending a major catastrophe. The district administration has reportedly pressed into service its machinery to make announcements from a mobile unit urging people to remain calm and maintain peace.

Eyewitnesses said the fire led to a series of blasts. The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, reportedly rang up the authorities at Pathankot to ascertain the details.