Fire at bazaar in Kullu district, Rs 2 crore loss estimated

At least seventeen shops and houses were gutted in a fire in the main bazaar in Banjjar in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district early this morning, causing an estimated loss of Rs 2 crore.
The fire was witnessed by some residents, who raised an alarm but it spread quickly and engulfed over a dozen shops and houses within a few minutes. The total loss was estimated at Rs 2 crore.
There is no fire station in Banjjar, and fire tenders had to be rushed from Kullu and Mandi.
Deputy commissioner Rakesh Kanwar rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations. He distributed an immediate relief of Rs 5.37 lakh to the affected families and also arranged temporary shelter for them.

Later, angry residents protested against the district administration for not opening a fire station in the town. The loss would have been far less had the administration paid heed to their demand of opening a fire station in the area, claimed the residents.