Fire Insurance is a contract whereby the Insurers upon
consideration, agree to indemnify the
insured against loss or damage to subject matter insured caused by perils
during the currency of policy. In India, we have the Standard Fire &
Special Perils Policy. Though the name
is Fire Policy, it covers a host of perils including – flood, cyclone, storm,
riot, strike, impact damage and more. There
has to be a specified subject matter which is insured against, at a given
value, i.e., the sum insured. It can be
Building, Plant & machinery and Stocks – and when damaged by insured
perils, the Insurer’s indemnify – place the insured back in the position as
they were prior to the loss. This indemnification
is purely on monetary terms and no Insurer can in reality bring back certain
subject-matter – and the subject matter is a heritage building damaged by
fire.
MailOnline reports
that Twenty fire engines were called to Parnham House, in Dorset, this morning
to tackle the blaze. Pictures appear to show a large part of the home engulfed
by flames which gutted the interior. The
mansion is believed to be privately owned with all occupants accounted for. Dorset Police are investigating how the fire
was started and have not ruled out
suspiscious circumstances.
The building
damaged in fire is a 16th century
stately home and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted images of
the blaze which appeared to destroy a large part of the mansion. The house is believed to be privately owned by
Michael and Emma Treichl who renovated the site eight years ago. A spokeswoman
for Dorset Police told Somerset Live officers were alerted at 4.10am. 'Officers arrived at 4.25am to find an
extensive fire at the premises - all occupants were accounted for,' she said
and an investigation in to the cause of fire was on.
It was the site of
the brutal 1645 murder during the English Civil War. Parnham was brought into
the ownership of the Strode family in the mid-1500s who lived in the property
for 200 years. It was the site of murder
of Lady Ann Strode by a soldier under
the command of Colonel Thomas Fairfax - commander-in-chief of the
Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War. During the 1920s the house
was a country club until it was used to accommodate American soldiers during
the Second World War. It was bought by the Treichls in 2001. Before the fire,
the house and gardens were open to the public during spring and summer.
Had the property
been insured, its owners might get the value required for rebuilding the same
at its present site, but the heritage value, however, would have been lost
forever.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
15th Apr 2017.
