Zhemgang Trong, Heritage Village On Fire

It is neither easy to see fire gauging the house nor fighting against it is possible with common man’s energy. But if we unite as one and work for it, nothing is impossible.

Honestly, I have seen house-on-fire for the first time and it’s not easy to see someone’s life long hard work and accomplishment going into flames. In front of everyone’s eye the house has become out-of- service, the rubble is all we can see now. I have seen people around had successfully fought against fire with all the possible brand of the energy. The dedication they have put this time was beyond measures.

House on fire

Personally I feel that, Zhemgang is a subject so close to me since I belong to this place for five long years and seen this 'Majestic Trong, Heritage House' every day. It housed almost quarter of total population. I have subjectively fallen in love with the age old stone designed house for so long at the very first sight. The place where I live happily with everyone around, the place where I get to hang-out with families and friends and the place where I get every possible clean and fresh air. I only know how special this place is to me.

Initially the pressure, tension and people squeak mounted to the highest level but due to many hands put together finally we could successfully contained the fire after a heavy battle for more than two hours. If someone ask me to choose between People’s battle and Fire battle, I would rather go for human battle which is far too easy and assertive but not in punching my Wife to black-and-blue.

 

Scene after fire battle

This time, I have honestly seen the most unity among our people like never before. People from all works of life (i.e. firefighters, civil servants, Police personal, Dessup team, Business community, students) came together to battle the fire, we came together to share the loss and felt the pain together by our helping hands until the last flicker and the last curl of smoke is completely put-off. This is what we are taught from the time we are living a life in this well fenced Kingship country.

We did it and together we can!

In this great tragedy my heartfelt goes out to the owner of the house and to the tenants who resides there with all hopes to live a life. I have seen this time that indispensable disaster equipment and human power didn’t fail at all. When someone was busy thinking on how to control the fire, some busy lost in watching fire engulfing the whole house, few bold-hearted police personal and the selected few of disaster teams who selflessly risked their own life to climb up to the roof to rescue the further spreading of the fire are truly the heroes. If there is someone we could call a hero, it is them who climb up to battle the fire and they are my heroes. They deserve our hands-down!

If someone ask me how you have contained the fire from spreading to next house. I would say we did it together but more importantly there are selected few who did their best job to control the fire. And not everyone was a hero.

After a heavy battle and when the last flicker and the last smoke rolled up into the air, I have seen people around with their satisfied and glaring faces once again. Because no one was injured and fire was successfully put under control from spreading further. If otherwise, Zhemgang would hold another national headline on the same story cover like Chamkhar town had just before few months. Nevertheless, I am happy to see once again the continuity of age old traditional houses built with Bhutanese architect in its same foundation. Although, the real cause of the fire was still at large. However, some unknown source told that the fire initially started from one of the tenant’s kitchen.

But the sad part was before the fire was under control I got my ball freeze to its smallest size possible since the water is icy to touch. Even, if someone drag me to the court of law stating I haven't bathed for so long, I would seek for Trump's Lynch to fence me from freezing my ball.