Bengal: Fire in Siliguri slum; several hundred houses feared gutted

A major fire erupted in a slum in Siliguri city in northern West Bengal on Saturday evening, fire officials said.

Several hundred houses and shops were feared to have been gutted in the blaze that erupted around 8 pm in Rana Bustee in ward number 18 in the city.

At least five fire tenders have been deployed to bring the blaze under control even as one firefighter was injured during the ongoing operations, Commissioner of Police Akhilesh Chaturvedi said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained even as several cylinder blasts further spread the blaze, the fire officials added.

The centrally-located slum is home to around 2,000 people, sources said.

Residents said they ran out of their houses when the blaze spread and were clueless about the source or cause of the fire.

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