E-Paper
Entire Himachal village reduced to ashes
At least 48 houses and 45 cowsheds have been gutted in a fire in a Himachal Pradesh village, says the police.
At least 48 houses and 45 cowsheds have been gutted in a fire in a Himachal Pradesh village, police said.
The entire Mohini village near Banjar in the Kullu valley, 230 kms from Shimla, was reduced to ashes on Thursday leaving many families homeless in the extremely cold weather.
Authorities said the houses in the village were mostly made of pine wood logs, which helped the fire spread fast and engulf the entire village in a very small time.
No loss of human life has been reported.
Officials have put the estimated loss at Rs 65 million.
"The cause of fire is not known at this stage," said Abhishek Jain, the district magistrate of Kullu.
"The state government has sent relief materials like blankets, tents and food supplies to the spot. A preliminary relief of Rs 10,000 to each of the families has also been announced," Jain said.
