Fire razes 120 hectares of 144-year-old tea estate
Times of India | 19 March 2025
Siliguri: Fire ravaged approximately 120 hectares of tea bushes at the 144-year-old Longview Tea Estate in Kurseong, renowned for its Darjeeling brew, on Tuesday. Though no casualty was reported, the fire that ravaged the garden on either side of Pankhabari Road caused significant loss to the tea industry. The garden had produced approximately 18,000 kg of tea during the first flush last year.
The tea garden, established on Jan 16, 1879, is one of the oldest and most renow-ned tea estates in the Hills. Spread across 500 hectares, it is located around 25 km from Siliguri.
Though the garden is open, a ‘no-work, no-pay' notice was issued by the management on March 3 as workers were refusing to pluck tea, alleging non-payment of wages, bonuses, and retirement benefits.
Fire officials said they received an alert around 10 am and deployed three engines each from Kurseong, Matigar, and Siliguri.
"After a five-hour operation, we were able to somewhat bring the fire under control. But this being a dry season, and there being strong winds, it made fire-fighting difficult. We pressed earth movers into service to create a fire line or barrier so that the villages are not affected. No casualty was reported and the factory was not affected by the fire. However, tea bushes across 120 hectares were completely burnt," said Kurseong fire station officer Rahul Mondal.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined but preliminary investigation suggested it could have been caused by a spark from a high-tension wire, or from someone carelessly discarding a burning cigarette or beedi. Given the windy conditions, and the dry bushes and leaves, the fire spread quickly.
"The destruction of tea bushes comes at a crucial time as this is the first flush season when the tea fetches a high price," ," said manager A P Singh.