Fire gutters 3 shops, 20 rooms in Theog

Shimla, Feb 26 (UNI) Three shops and over 20 rooms were gutted in a devastating fire that broke out in a wooden building in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh late this afternoon, a senior state government official said.

''Three shops and over 20 rooms were gutted in an accidental fire that broke out from a room in the house in Janug Ghat market, near Theog, about 32 km from here, but no loss of life and property was reported in the incident,'' Theog SDM Gopal Chand told UNI over the telephone.

He said the fire personnel and people from the nearby areas fought with the fire for over three hours before bringing it under control.

According to preliminary reports, property estimated to be over Rs 25 lakh was gutted in the incident, he said, adding that over three families residing in the house have been rendered homeless.

Mr Chand said once the assessment about the loss of property was done by the administration, immediate relief to the affected families would be announced.

A case has been registered and investigations were on, he added.

UNI