Magisterial inquiry ordered into Shimla house fire

The Himachal Pradesh government today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the blaze at a house in Mandi district that left five members of a family including three women dead, an official said.

The fire broke out early this morning when the people were asleep after returning from a wedding procession with the bridegroom and the bride late in the night, family sources said.

Mandi Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rajiv Kumar would probe the incident.

The ADM will inquire all the aspects including the cause of the fire and allegations of fire-fighters arriving late at the spot. The ADM will submit the report within seven days, he said.

Expressing "heartfelt condolences" to the bereaved family members, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assured that the cause of the fire would be probed and every possible help would be provided to the victims' kin.