Guwahati, Feb 25 (IANS): One of the oldest legal centres in Meghalaya -- the Shillong Bar Association office -- was gutted in a devastating fire.

The fire broke out late Saturday night. According to officials, the fire spread quickly in the entire premises as it was a wooden building.

The fire destroyed the whole office in which thousands of case files were lost, many of them were several decades old. The building that housed the Shillong Bar Association was built in 1913.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma rushed to the scene and promised every assistance to the state's legal fraternity. Since his late father, P.A. Sangma, was also a former state lawyer, the chief minister added that it was with a heavy heart that he saw the extent of destruction to the office of a long-standing cornerstone of democracy.

At least four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were engaged in the rescue effort. They could douse the blazing flames well past midnight.