A mother and her seven-year-old son were charred to death as around 80 huts were gutted after fire broke out around 1 pm in Motahaltu area at lalkuan in Haldwani under Nainital district on Tuesday.
These huts were located near Gaula river. Around 300 persons, mostly from Bihar and Jharkhand, who are engaged in mining activities alongside the river, are living in around 80 huts. The deceased have been identified as Reeta Devi (40) and her son Harshvardhan (7). Both were sleeping in their hut when the fire engulfed it. It is learnt that Reeta Devi was ill.
The intensity of the fire was such that 80 huts located there were burnt to ashes in around 10 minutes. The settlers said nothing of their household goods had been saved from the flame. “We are destitute,” said one of those whose huts the fire gutted. The incident occurred around 1 pm on Tuesday, said Indrajeet Arya, Haldwani fire station officer.
The flame was put out after three fire tenders which were rushed to the spot fought with it for nearly four and half hours. House goods worth lakhs are learnt to have been reduced to cinders in the blaze.
The fire officer said that the swift action on their part had stopped the flames from spreading further to engulf around 150 huts located a few metres away from the cluster of huts gutted. “We controlled the flames before it took a more grim turn,” he added.
Arya further said that his office had been informed about the fire at 1 pm on Tuesday. Soon, three fire tenders were rushed to the site. Apart from this senior administrative officers like sub-divisional magistrate, circle officer and police station officers rushed to the spot, he said.
The quantum of the damage is yet to be estimated, he added.