More than three dozen houses were completely destroyed in a fire which broke out past midnight in Khasani village in Rohroo sub division of Shimla district, about 130 km from here.
As many as 50 families were rendered homeless in the blaze, officials said on Wednesday. The fire spread fast and engulfed large number of heavily timbered old houses with traditional wood carving. Villagers ran out of their houses in panic as the blaze swept.
The villagers fought the flames and stopped the fire from spreading to a cluster of about 150 houses. However, about 35 to 40 houses were reduced to ashes by the time the fire tenders from Rohroo and Kotkhai arrived at the spot. The fire brigade fought the flames for more than five hours.