A single storied housed was completely razed to the ground yesterday (07/01/2021) in Dewathang under Samdrup Jongkhar. The house was used as a store for construction materials. The fire which started at around 9 pm burned everything in the house. According to sources, there were two to three truckloads of seasoned planks along with many construction materials in the house. There are no reports of any casualties (source: Kuensel + BBS).

Impact of fire on Construction Material - Technical Highlight

Building Material exposed to elevated temperature must be assessed for the reusability. RCC structures are suitably assumed safe even if its exposed to the temperature of 600 degree. However, discoloration of concrete (to pink or reddish) indicates the severe damage and deterioration of materials and structure should not be used. Vertical members are appropriately drilled to check the status of rebars inside.

The scenario goes quite different for vernacular timber, rammed earth, adobe and wattle and daub dwellings. They are subjected to more damages compared to RCC structures.