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Massive fire guts 60 houses in N. India

Xinhua, May 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

A massive fire gutted 60 residential houses in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said Tuesday.

The fire broke out on Monday night in Jhapra village of Mathura district, about 420 km west of Lucknow city, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

"The fire was triggered from a kitchen of a house and immediately engulfed nearby houses due to high velocity wind," a local government official posted in the district said.

No loss of human life was reported in the incident. However, reports said over a dozen cattle were perished in the blaze.

Officials said fire tenders from the district and neighbouring state of Rajasthan were called in to contain the flames.

"It took several hours for the firefighters to douse the flames," the official said.

Police officials have registered a case and initiated investigations to ascertain the cause.

Chances of fire in Indian villages and cities are usually high as people often ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire and store fuel and combustible materials in a haphazard manner. Endit