Fire erupted in three residences- all made of woods- on Shivaji Marg near Kanwali Road under lakshman Chowk police post area on Wednesday, triggering panic among the locals. The three wood houses were all reduced to ashes in the blaze that the fire tenders took long to put out. However, the locals alleged that the fire officers reached the spot close to half an hour later after the fire broke out. Though no casualty was reported household items worth around three lakhs are learnt to have been reduced to ashes. The cause of the fire was being ascertained, police said.
It is learnt that the houses gutted belonged to Ashok, Awtar Singh and Jagir Chandra. The flame was first seen at the house of Ashok around 11 am. Neighbours rushed as the flame kept spreading to the nearby houses. Children found stranded in the houses were brought out to safer places.