Bathinda: Two sisters were charred to death and several others were injured after fire broke out in nearly 20 houses of a slum in Punjab's Bathinda on Tuesday morning.
The incident took place in Oriya Colony at around 4 am. A cylinder also exploded following which, the fire intensified. On information from locals, fire tenders were pressed into service and it took around three hours to douse the flames.
After learning about the incident, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagroop Singh Gill reached the spot to take stock of the rescue operation. He promised all possible help to the affected families.
Dayanand, a resident of the colony, said everyone was sleeping when the fire broke out. "There was panic among the slum dwellers as they started running haywire to save their lives. The fire spread to the entire area and gutted 20 houses," Dayanand said.
According to police, preliminary investigation revealed that the fire first broke out in a house where cooking was underway. Due to strong winds, it spread to the adjoining house and then a gas cylinder kept in the room burst, an official of the local police station said.
He said that the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are presently undergoing treatment. However, two girls were declared brought dead, he added.
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