A major fire that broke out early Tuesday morning in Gujarati Mohalla under the Adhartal police station area, left several families homeless. The blaze started around 5 am and spread rapidly, engulfing nearly 8 to 10 shanties in the locality. As per the information, the fire spread quickly due to the closely built huts, reducing them to ashes within a short time. Six fire tenders from the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after huge effort. Local residents said most of the families were asleep when the fire started, triggering panic in the area. People somehow managed to rush out of their huts and save their lives, but their household belongings and a large stock of old clothes stored inside the huts were completely destroyed in the flames. Residents said around 15 families have been living in huts in Gujarati Mohalla for nearly 50 years. These families earn their livelihood by selling old clothes. The fire completely gutted the huts, leaving the families without shelter or belongings. Preliminary estimates suggest that the incident caused losses of more than Rs 10 lakh.

 

The affected families said the fire has destroyed everything they owned, leaving them struggling for basic livelihood. They have appealed to the Government and the district administration for assistance. The affected residents said they were asleep inside their huts when the fire suddenly broke out. Children started screaming and clothes and belongings caught fire. They ran out to save lives. Everything they had saved over the years and the future of their children has turned to ashes. “We are left only with the clothes we are wearing,” they said, adding that the families are now worried about the future. On receiving information about the incident, six fire tenders of the Municipal Corporation reached the spot and worked to control the blaze. After the fire was brought under control, residents heaved a sigh of relief, though the incident created panic and chaos in the entire locality. Authorities said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.