Midnight fire at Ludhiana slum leaves four families homeless

While none of the occupants was hurt, a few pigeons kept in a cage in one of the shanties died in the incident

Four families were left shelterless after their hutments were burned down in a fire near the railway lines on Jassian Road on Thursday midnight.

Four shanties were completely destroyed in the blaze. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

While none of the occupants was hurt, a few pigeons kept in a cage in one of the shanties died in the incident.

The fire was first noticed by one of the slumdwellers around 1.30am and the fire brigade was contacted.

“The families rushed out to safety and we all started throwing water at the fire. One of the hutments was razed to stop the flames from spreading to other structures. Meanwhile, the fire brigade also arrived and doused the blaze,” said Gurwinder Singh, who alerted the fire department.

Firefighter Harmel Singh said two trucks were rushed to the spot from the fire wing headquarters near railway station and Haibowal fire station, and the flames were extinguished after two hours.

Four shanties, containing household goods, clothes, furniture, electronic articles and cash, were gutted, he said, adding that the cause behind the fire was not immediately clear.