40 houses gutted in Shimla fire

A massive fire in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district on Wednesday gutted at least 40 houses and property worth lakhs of rupees, officials said.

The fire reportedly broke out when the occupants were asleep. However, no casualties have been reported.

"There are reports of 40 houses, mostly wooden, being destroyed in the fire in Kasheni village," Sub Divisional Magistrate B.R. Sharma told IANS.

Rescuers reached the spot, 135 km from Shimla, and evacuated the villagers. The cause of the fire is not known.

--IANS

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