80 families left homeless by blaze at Panchkula’s Saketri slum

12 water tankers used to douse flames in 4 hours; slum-dwellers lose shelter with winter chill tightening its grip on the region

Over 200 people were left homeless after a fire broke out at a slum in Saketri village, gutting 80 hutments.

A child collecting whatever is left of his home following the fire at Saketri village in Panchkula on Sunday. (Sant Arora /HT)

While the cause behind the fire could not be established, locals said it could have spread from an unattended kitchen fire.

“Around 3pm, we noticed that a hutment had caught fire, which spread to other structures in no time. We heard no blast, so it could not be due to a cylinder,” said a slum dweller.

Children with their books damaged by the fire. (Sant Arora/HT)

The fire department received a call at 3.16pm, following which 12 water tankers were sent to the spot from Panchkula, Barwala and even Kalka. The last water tanker went in around 6.30pm, so it took nearly four hours to douse the fire.

The fire broke out around 3pm. (Sant Arora/HT)

A fire official said the cause of the fire was not known, but it started from one hutment and engulfed all others. “Nearly 225 people living in the slum lost their homes and belongings. But no one was hurt,” he added.

Members of the Shirdi Sai Sewa Samaaj donated blankets, tarpaulin sheets, ropes and ration among the affected families.

Good Samaritans distributing blankets among the slum dwellers left homeless by the blaze. (Sant Arora/HT)

Meanwhile, 12 more fires were reported across Panchkula on Diwali and another two on Sunday. Besides some fodder catching fire at a house in Ramgarh, all other incidents were minor, the fire official said.