A fire broke out on the first floor of a house on Chuharpur Road late Tuesday night, destroying household articles and furniture, police said. No injuries were reported, they added.
According to local residents, the flames were first noticed by an elderly woman in the house shortly after she finished her evening prayer. She was alone at home when the fire erupted. Spotting thick smoke and flames, she ran outside and alerted neighbours, prompting them to rush to the spot.
Local residents initially tried to control the fire using buckets of water and small extinguishers, but as the flames intensified.
Jugal Kishore Goyal, owner of the house, said he reached the spot after receiving information about the fire. “My mother was the only one at home. She came out on time and alerted everyone. By the time I reached, the first floor was completely gutted,” he said.
Soon a fire tender arrived at the spot and firefighters worked for nearly an hour to bring the blaze under control.
Fire officials suspect a short circuit but said the exact cause will be determined after a probe.
The first floor of the house has suffered maximum damage. Had the firemen not acted quickly, the fire could have spread to nearby homes, fire officials said.
Police have initiated an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire.
