Six people were charred to death in a fire that broke out at Talangna village of Nauradhar in Sirmaur district on Wednesday night, officials said on Thursday.
The victims had gathered at the house to celebrate Boda Tyohar, the annual festival of the Hattee community where married daughters return to their paternal homes. The deceased include the daughter and son-in-law of the house owner.
Sangrah sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sunil Kayath said preliminary probe suggests the fire started from the ‘chula (traditional hearth)’. “Six bodies have been recovered. Two victims were from Rajgarh in Sirmaur, while four belonged to Nerva in Shimla district,” Kayath said.
Talangna is a remote village in the Sangrah subdivision and lacks road connectivity, which hampered rescue efforts.
The incident marks the second major fire in Himachal Pradesh this week. A blaze at Arki in Solan district on Sunday night left 10 people, including nine of Nepalese origin, dead besides gutting several houses made of wood.
This is also the second tragedy to hit Sangrah sub division in a week; on January 10, a bus accident in the area claimed 14 lives and left 52 passengers injured.
State Congress president Vinay Kumar expressed grief over the Sirmaur fire and directed the authorities to provide immediate relief to the victims’ families.
