Woman killed, 47 houses gutted in UP fire

An elderly woman was killed and 47 houses were gutted in a big fire in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district, police said on Monday.

Deputy SP, Rajapur, Ishtiaq Ahmad said Shahjahan (60) was sick and got trapped in the fire on Sunday evening in Surwal village.

Her body was found after the fire, which gutted 47 houses, was doused, he said.

Station House Officer of Rajapur police station Gulab Chandra Tripathi said the fire broke out in a house and quickly spread due to a dust storm.

Fifty families live in the area, he said.

The exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet, Tripathi said.

Household items worth lakhs of rupees were burnt in the fire.

Revenue officials are evaluating the loss.

Village Head Shabbir Khan alleged that fire tenders arrived after almost one-and-a-half hour after the villagers reported the incident. By the time they reached the spot, virtually everything had been burnt, he said.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rahul Kashyap Vishwakarma said homeless villagers have been kept in a primary school and they will be compensated as per the provision after losses are ascertained.