Fire guts 23 shanties near Baddi toll plaza

A massive fire broke out near the Baddi toll plaza around 12 noon today, reducing 23 shanties to ashes. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported as most of the occupants — migrant labourers — were away at work when the blaze erupted. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

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Santosh Sharma, Commandant of the Home Guards, said, “A team of seven firefighters responded to the emergency after receiving information around noon. The dry, inflammable materials used in the shanties caught fire instantly and the flames quickly spread.”

It took two and a half hours and three fire tenders to fully bring the fire under control. The task was made more difficult due to the intense heat wave prevailing in the area.

According to preliminary estimates, property worth Rs 2.5 lakh was destroyed in the fire. However, thanks to prompt and intense fire-fighting efforts, goods worth Rs 5 lakh were saved.

The affected shanties were home to labourers from Uttar Pradesh, who resided there along with their contractor. Among the losses reported was Rs 1.85 lakh in cash belonging to the contractor, which had been collected for depositing as a bank installment.

Tehsildar, Baddi, who visited the site upon receiving the information, arranged for temporary lodging and boarding facilities for the displaced migrant workers, who lost all their belongings in the fire.

This is the second major fire incident in recent days affecting shanty settlements in the area, highlighting the vulnerability and lack of fire safety measures in these densely populated zones of this industrial belt.