Fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in a colony mostly inhabited by daily wage workers at Yatapalem in the Gajuwaka area of Visakhapatnam. In all, 30 huts were completely destroyed in the accident.
Oil lamp in one of the huts reportedly sparked the fire at around 1.30 a.m., which quickly spread across the colony that compromised 60 huts.
“Within a few minutes 10 houses caught fire. By the time fire engines reached the spot, 30 houses were on fire,” said Apparao, a resident.
Three fire engines were rushed to the spot and it took five hours for the men to douse it. Additional District Fire Officer Ch. Krupavaram said that though there was no loss of life, the damage to property, initially, was estimated at Rs. 30 lakh.
Officials from the Revenue Department visited the spot and conducted preliminary assessment of loss of property. “So far, no one has promised us any compensation,” lamented Apparao.
YSCR leader Gudivada Amarnath visited the spot.
Revenue officials visit the spot to assess preliminary loss
