A massive fire erupted in the hills behind the Lakhni Devi Temple in Ratanpur on Saturday afternoon, causing widespread panic in the area. The blaze spread rapidly, posing a threat to nearby residential areas. However, the Chief Municipal Officer (CMO), Khel Patel, allegedly did not answer his phone despite repeated attempts to contact him by the locals. According to local sources, the phone kept ringing, but the CMO was seemingly in no state to respond. Locals and media personnel tried to reach him multiple times, but the officer reportedly did not receive a single call. Meanwhile, the fire brigade was nowhere to be seen, leaving the 112 emergency services and locals struggling to control the fire.

 

This particular hill was also the site of a tragic incident a year ago when an employee of the Mahamaya Temple Trust died after sustaining severe burns while trying to extinguish a fire. Despite this past loss, authorities have allegedly failed to implement any robust fire safety measures in the area, leading to concerns that they are waiting for another major incident to occur.