Inferno : Three houses gutted in Balakot tehsil

At least three houses were gutted in a fire in a village in Balakot tehsil on Sunday. A police official told The Express Tribune, one of the houses belonged to Abdul Qayum, a resident of Hadiyar Sangar village. The official added, “Qayum informed us the fire broke out in a room and eventually engulfed the entire house. The flames also spread to the houses of his two sons who lived next door.” According to the official, all three families managed to vacate their houses and no casualties were reported. “The villagers managed to extinguish the flames with water,” he said. “However, the families’ belongings – which included their furniture, clothes and electric appliances – were destroyed.” The official said the families had collectively suffered losses worth Rs1 million. “The government should compensate them for their losses,” he said. Initial investigation revealed the fire was caused by a short-circuit.