Wildfire spreads: Four houses gutted, animals killed

The fire started from the kitchen of his house and engulfed the adjoining rooms and a goat shed

MANSEHRA: Four houses were gutted while some farm animals also died, resulting in losses of millions of rupees for to the owners in different parts of Hazara, the police said on Tuesday.

The police quoted Faqir Muhammad, a resident of Hassa Balakot Village, as saying that the fire started from the kitchen of his house on Monday evening and engulfed the adjoining rooms and a goat shed.

He said that the house and shed were total losses despite the villagers’ efforts to douse the flames.

He added that eight goats were killed and all his belongings were completely destroyed. He claimed his losses totaled Rs1 million.

According to the police, the fire sparked from a sandali (traditional indoor coal heater) that the residents inadvertently left burning.

The second fire was reported the same evening from Khun Village in Aziz Bang Union Council in Abbottabad, where a fire broke out in the neighboring forest before spreading to three houses in the vicinity of the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2017.