One killed in Gangtok blaze

GANGTOK, 16 Jan: An elderly person, retained as a caretaker at an otherwise uninhabited home here at Daragaon, Tadong, was killed in a fire which razed through the cottage here this evening.
Neighbours believe that the fire started at around 7:30 p.m. The cottage is hemmed in by buildings and has a very narrow access path. The Gangtok fire station was informed of the fire at around 8:10 and rushed immediately to the spot. The victim was unfortunately already dead by that time.
Quick action by the firefighters with the assistance of the local people, however, ensured that the flames were beaten down before the fire could spread to the nearby houses. The cramped location of the house did however make fire fighting difficult.
By the time the firefighters had doused the flames enough to reach the victim, his body was already charred.