Six killed in house fire in Himachal

Six people, including three children, were charred to death and another sustained burn injuries in a fire that broke out in a village in Nauradhar area of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, officials said on Thursday.

Preliminary probe suggests that the fire broke out in the ‘chula’ — traditional Indian stove — of a house in Talangna village late on Wednesday night, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sangrah told the PTI over the phone. Talangna is a remote village not connected by road in Sangrah subdivision, and by the time the villagers spotted the fire and rushed to help, the blaze had already caused extensive damage to the old wooden house.

Six bodies have been recovered — two of them were said to be from Rajgarh in Sirmaur, while four were from the Nerva area of Shimla district, the SDM said, adding that he was on his way to the spot.

The deceased included the daughter and son-in-law of the owner of the house, who had come for Boda Tyohar celebrations. Three children were among the dead.

Boda Tyohar is the biggest annual festival of the three lakh Hattee tribes of Sirmaur district, in which daughters visit their parents’ house.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief over the fire incident and directed the district administration to carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident and to ensure that all possible assistance is extended to the bereaved families at the earliest. Union Health Minister and BJP National President J P Nadda, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and State BJP chief Rajiv Bindal have also expressed grief over the fire incident. Congress State chief and MLA from Shri Renukaji assembly segment, Vinay Kumar, has expressed sadness over the incident and directed authorities to provide immediate relief.

This is the second major tragedy in Sangrah subdivision in the past week. On January 10, as many as 14 people were killed and 52 sustained injuries in a bus accident.