Wooden house reduced to ashes in Chamba fire

A massive fire on Wednesday evening reduced a three-storey wooden house to ashes in Mandolu village under Keedi Gram Panchayat in the Sahoo area of Chamba subdivision. The blaze, which broke out late in the evening, engulfed the home of Punni Devi, wife of Prithu.

Fortunately, no one was inside at the time of the incident. Villagers rushed to the spot after noticing thick smoke and attempted to douse the flames using water and soil. However, the wooden structure caught fire rapidly, making it impossible for them to control the blaze.

The fire brigade was alerted immediately, but reaching the spot proved difficult. Keedi lies nearly 25 km from Chamba and the village itself is about a kilometre from the nearest motorable road, preventing fire tenders from accessing the exact location. By the time the firefighting team arrived, the house had been completely gutted.

While villagers managed to stop the fire from spreading to nearby houses, all belongings inside Punni Devi’s home were reduced to ashes. The family has now taken shelter in neighbouring homes.