A massive fire broke out late last night at Champa Haor Choumuhani in the Office Tilla area of Khowai, reducing at least 12 shops to ashes and causing heavy financial losses.

According to local sources, residents first noticed flames rising from one of the shops around 1:30 am. Within minutes, the fire spread rapidly to adjacent establishments. As the shops were located close to one another in a densely populated area, the blaze quickly intensified, making it difficult to control.

Firefighters from the Tripura Fire Service rushed to the scene shortly after being alerted. Three fire tenders, along with a police water cannon, were deployed to douse the flames. It took nearly two hours to bring the fire under control.

By the time the blaze was extinguished, grocery stores, clothing outlets, and electronics shops had been completely gutted. Preliminary estimates suggest that property worth several lakh rupees was destroyed in the incident.

Affected shop owners said that many had kept cash and important documents inside their establishments overnight, all of which were lost in the fire. Several traders stated that their shops were their only source of livelihood, leaving them devastated by the incident.

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities are expected to conduct a detailed investigation.