40 houses gutted as massive fire breaks out in Rohru village in HP

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 18

About 40 houses were gutted and several others were damaged in a devastating fire rendering more than 50 families shelterless at Khasni village in Tikker panchayat in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district, about 125 km from here, in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The fire that broke out around 2 am spread fast and engulfed a large number of houses. The villagers tried to control the fire but dozens of houses were reduced to ashes by the time fire tenders reached the spot.

The fire caused panic among the villagers who stopped the fire from spreading into a cluster of 150 houses and the SDM and DSP Rohru reached the spot along with rescue teams. Fire tenders were rushed from Kotkhai and Rohru and it took more than five hours to bring the fire under control.  

Property worth crores was destroyed in the fierce fire but there was no loss of life and the villagers rushed out of their homes as soon as the fire broke out. The loss is being assessed by the revenue officers and victims have been given immediate relief of Rs 10,000 each besides temporary shelter, ration, clothes and other essential items, said SDM Rohru Babu Ram Sharma.

Villagers said short-circuit could be the cause of fire. However, investigations are on to ascertain the actual cause. The old structures made of wood with beautiful carvings went into flames in no time and massive damage was done by the time fire tenders reached the spot.