Panic gripped the residents of Jonaki Nagar in Panikhaiti on the outskirts of Guwahati after a major forest fire broke out on Tuesday.

As per reports, the fire broke out at the foot of Jonaki Nagar near the Panikhaiti railway station. The fire quickly engulfed a large portion of the forest cover soon after it broke out.

The residents of Jonaki Nagar started to panic after the fire broke out as it quickly spread and started approaching the nearby village.

A populated village, Jonaki Nagar, is adjacent to the area where the fire initially broke out, leading to the villagers panicking.

It was initially reported that the fire quickly approached the populated village leaving the people fearing for their lives and property.

Moreover, the fire department also did not arrive at the scene of the fire promptly. However, the flames were later brought under control by the locals, reports stated.

Yesterday, another massive fire gutted as many as seven business establishments at Mukalmua in Nalbari district of Assam.

The fire was reported from a market area in Mukalmua’s Rampur on Monday night. As per locals of the area, the inferno is suspected to have erupted from a hotel named ‘Bhaiti Cabin’.

According to locals of Rampur, properties worth crores of rupees were devastated in the fire. They also said that at least 7 business establishments including a restaurant, pharmacies, a hardware shop, book stalls and stationary shops were gutted in the blazing inferno.

Meanwhile, the firefighting personnel and the police arrived at the spot after being informed about the incident. The fire is currently under control as of now. Fortunately, no casualty or loss of lives has been reported in the incident.

Speaking about the incident, a local of Rampur said, “Around seven business establishments and shops were gutted in the massive fire. We suspect that the fire erupted due to a short circuit at a hotel named ‘Bhaiti Cabin’. It then spread to nearby shops gutting two pharmacies, a hardware shop, a book stall and a retail shop.”