Fire renders two families homeless in Kanpur

Kanpur: A devastating fire, triggered by stove sparks, rendered two families homeless in Sherpur village in the Bidhnu area of the district on Tuesday afternoon. The blaze also caused a gas cylinder explosion, which destroyed a motorcycle in its wake.

The incident occurred in Sherpur village of Khera gram panchayat when sparks from a stove ignited the thatched roof of labourer Javed's residence. The fire quickly spread to a nearby straw stack before reaching his neighbour Jalia's house. The occupants of both the houses managed to evacuate safely when they noticed the flames.

The situation worsened when a gas cylinder in Jalia's house exploded with tremendous force. Although villagers initially attempted to combat the fire using a hand pump, their efforts proved insufficient. By the time a fire tender arrived from Ghatampur, the fire had already destroyed the belongings of both households and a motorcycle.

Inspector Bidhnu police station Jitendra Pratap Singh said that the fire brigade, with assistance from local villagers, brought the situation under control. He said that while property was destroyed, fortunately, there were no injuries or casualties in the incident.