Traditional structures dwindling away, courtesy fires

Dipender Manta

Old wooden-carved structures are losing its existence in villages one after other to major fire incidents in the state, which could have been saved had some precautions been taken.

In Kullu district alone, three villages including Malana, Solang, and Kotla have lost its wooden structures to major fires a few years ago. The traditional houses were made of carved wood in Kashthkuni style, which was a major attraction for tourists. These unique structures were constructed by carpenters 50 years back or even earlier, when they were less quipped with modern technology.

In a majority of cases, major fire incidents are a result of carelessness of villagers, who store dry grass to feed cattle and firewood during winter season. In olden days, houses were made close to each other and the mistake of one person proves fatal for others as well.

Learning no lessons from the past tragedies, unfortunately the old practice of storing grass and firewood in houses still continues in villages. According to experts, there is a need to educate people in villages to shun this old-age practice and adopt precautionary measures to avert such tragedies in future.

Data collected from the Fire Department in Kullu district revealed that major fire incidents have diminished the existence of historical villages like Malana, Solang and Kotla, which were made in traditional Kashthkuni style. After the fire incident, these villages were restored but not in traditional style.

The first major fire was reported in Kullu district in Malana village on June 6, 2007, in which 10 houses were gutted completely, while a few others were partially damaged. The loss of property was assessed at Rs 1.20 crore at that time.

On November 25, 2008, another major fire incident was reported at Solang village, 8 km away from Manali town, in which 30 houses were gutted in fire. The loss was assessed at Rs 4.5 crore. The fire officials struggled hard for three days to control the blaze because the village was 2.5 km away from road. The fire tenders could not reach which further didn’t aid in dousing the flames.

The third major fire incident was reported on November 15, 2015, at Kotla village in Kullu district, in which 89 houses of 120 people were engulfed in fire. The loss was assessed at Rs 25 crore. The traditional look of the village in Kashthkuni style was also a major attraction for tourists in the region, who preferred spending thei vacation in the village.

As many as 40 houses were gutted in a fire incident at Kashaini village under Rohru sub-division of Shimla district in April this year, which rendered 50 families homeless. In a majority of cases, fire tenders fail to reach the spot due to non-availability of road facility.

Durga Dutt in charge at Fire Office, Kullu, said: “Little precaution by villagers can save this heritage property of the state, which is an artifact of dexterity of carpenters. There is a need to shun the old practice of storage of dry grass and firewood close to the house or inside, which is always dangerous in case of fire incidents. So, people are advised to keep dry grass and firewood away from their homes, which can reduce chances of fire incidents. It was observed that sometimes children put match in dry grass or some passerby throws burning cigarette or Bidi, which often becomes the cause of fire incidents.”

“Each family should use fire extinguisher in houses, especially in the kitchen area, which is affordable for everyone. There is a need to construct big well for the storage of water for those villages that are not connected with road facility. So, in time of need, stored water can be used to douse flames because a majority of time we fail to control the blaze due to shortage of water as fire tenders are unable to reach some accident spots,” he said.