Fifty thatched houses destroyed in blaze

At least 50 thatched houses were destroyed in a major fire that broke out on Tuesday in shop at Uppara Colony off Gudarigunta area in Kakinada.

However, no casualties were reported and the fire tenders had to battle for over 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The loss was estimated to be around Rs. 50 lakh.

According to Kakinada Fire Officer Udaya Kumar, they received information at around 11.35 a.m. that a fire had broken out at Uppara Colony area and immediately rushed two fire tenders to the spot.

“The blaze engulfed other houses and there were three more cylinder explosions, which led to panic among the people,” said Ramana, whoi runs a petty shop nearby. A police team led by Kakinada Rural Inspector Pavan Kishore helped the people retrieve their belongings and shift to a safer place.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister N. China Rajappa directed East Godavari District Collector H. Arun Kumar to visit the spot and extend necessary assistance to the affected families.

Gas leak said to be cause, loss put at around Rs.50 lakh