A massive fire broke out in Khasani village of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district around 2 am on Wednesday, destroying around 40 homes, reported PTI. Fifty families lost their houses in the blaze, an unidentified official said.
Villagers rushed out of their houses as the blaze swept across the area. They fought the flames and stopped the fire from spreading to a cluster of about 150 homes. However, about 35 to 40 of them were completely destroyed by the time fire tenders from Rohroo and Kotkhai towns arrived at the spot.
A shortage in water supply delayed the firefighting operation and villagers had to connect a pipeline from a source nearly 5 km away, reported the Hindustan Times. The fire brigade brought the blaze under control after more than five hours.
Rohroo Sub Divisional Magistrate Babu Ram Sharma said the families whose homes were destroyed in the blaze have been provided an immediate relief of Rs 10,000, temporary shelter, clothes and ration. A community kitchen has been set up and revenue officers are assessing the loss, according to PTI.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, said Sharma. Villagers said a short circuit may have caused the blaze. “We also heard blasts that could have been LPG cylinders,” Anil Sharma, a resident of a neighbouring village, told the Hindustan Times. “Eventually, cylinders and other essential things were removed from adjoining houses.”
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