I had
never seen a house on fire before, only filmed reports of it on the
television. So, one evening when I heard the siren screams of a few
fire-engines rushing past my house, I dashed into the street and joined a
growing crowd of curious people. We could see the fire only from a safe
distance as the police had cordoned off the place for security
reasons. even at a distance, I could recognize that the affected houses were in
a squatter area where my part-time maid, Mani, lived.
What a
terrible scene greeted my eyes ! The fire was raging through the shabbily built
houses. Flames leaped up hungrily to devour the wooden sheds. every now and
then tongues of fire would shoot up almost skyhigh, sprinkling bright red
sparks of fire about. Fiery wooden beams crashed and glowed brightly. Thick
black smoke spread all around.
Dozens
of firemen from the four fire-engines were busily engaged in putting out the
fire.The rushing water from several hoses soaked the houses but it did not seem
to have any effect on the flames. Soon, a few firemen with hoses in their
hands were seen climbing up tall red ladders of the fire-engines. The
continuous flooding from the top finally brought the fire under control. Where
it had been red there was only black -- the charred remains of ruined
houses.
While
all eyes were transfixed on the inferno, the plight of the victims did not
escape the eyes of the spectators. Firemen were seen dragging wailing women
away from the burning houses to a safe area. Frightened children clutched
to their mothers. Some of the men simply stared speechlessly as they witnessed
their homes reduced to ashes.
It
took only 30 minutes before the whole squatter area, comprising mainly wooden
houses, was razed to the ground. No one could salvage anything.
According to a reporter,the estimated loss was around 1 million dollars.
Although the amount may seem insignificant to some, for the victims it was all
they had. Their only consolation was the fact that no lives were sacrificed.
Though
I watched with great sympathy for the other victims of the fire, my real
fear the concern were for Mani. All this while, I was straining my eyes to
catch a glimpse of her. What a relief when I finally saw her
standing with downcast eyes in the midst of other fire victims. My
heart went out to her.
