58 houses gutted in fire in Himachal Pradesh

As many as 58 houses were gutted in a massive fire at Tangnu village in Rohroo area here, rendering around 216 persons homeless and over a dozen cattle dead, officials said today.

The fire took place in village Tangnu in Chirgaon tehsil of Rohroo, 140 kms from here, late last night, SP, Shimla DW Negi said. There was no casualty, he said.

The exact loss is yet to be assessed but is likely to run into crores of rupees, the officer said.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Rohroo, Anupam Thakur said ten sheeps and four cows perished in the fire and an immediate relief of Rs 40,000 has been provided to each family.

The SDM also rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations.

Negi said that the cause of the fire is not known, adding that it is suspected to be triggered by short circuit.

The locals put up a brave front by helping each other in the biting cold. They also assisted the administration till the wee hours today in the rescue operations and provided food and other facilities to affected families, officials said.

--PTI