A major fire broke out in a slum behind the Rasulgarh Durga Mandap here on Monday afternoon reducing around 20 to 25 thatched houses to ashes.
More than 20 years old, the slum mainly housed migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other places, who eked their livings by selling plastic toys and other merchandise in the city.
Black fumes raged in the area for around half an hour before three fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the blaze.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. It was suspected that it started from one of the houses and gradually spread to the others. Traffic on the National-16 was disrupted for some time. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries to anyone were reported.
Three motorcycles and all household goods of the slum dwellers were charred in the fire. A resident of the slum said, “We have lost all our belongings in the fire. After we noticed the fire, we tried to douse it ourselves. But when we failed, we fled with our children to save our lives.”