Fire destroys Mount Everest conqueror`s house in Arunachal

Itanagar: A fire completely gutted the residence of Mount Everest conqueror Tine Meena, at Roing in lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, police said today. The fire broke out yesterday and razed the house to ashes within minutes, police said. No loss of life was reported but property worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the fire.

The fire destroyed Mena`s passport, cameras, laptop, all her summit certificates including the one she had earned for scaling Mt Everest, they said. Her mountaineering equipment worth lakhs of rupees were also reduced to ashes, said police. Mena was away shooting for a documentary film in Nizamghat near Dibang river when the incident took place. Her cousin Lokha Elapra said that fire broke out when Mena`s father was about to leave for work, police said. "He saw smoke billowing from the roof. He rushed back but by then fire had engulfed the whole house. Mena`s father suffered serious burn injury in hands when he tried to save precious belongings," Elapra said.