Shimla, Oct 21 — Properties worth crores were destroyed in multiple fire incidents across Himachal Pradesh on Diwali night, officials said on Tuesday. At least 47 fire incidents, including three major ones, were reported from different parts of the state between Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.
A massive fire broke out in the upper floors of a multi-storey hotel in Manikaran in Kullu district, forcing tourists and staff to rush out. Fire tenders managed to control the blaze after several hours, and no casualties were reported, officials said.
In Shimla district, three major fires were reported from Rampur, Rohru, and Shimla Rural, where about 10 shops were gutted. The losses in these incidents were estimated at around ₹1.40 crore, fire officials said. Four shops were destroyed near Khopdi Temple in Rampur, three near Bhanoti Chowk in Shimla Rural, and several more in Chidgaon area of Rohru.
In Kangra district, an electrical shop in Pathiyar under Nagarota Bagwan area was gutted, causing losses worth lakhs.
Authorities said most fires were caused by negligence and firecracker mishandling. The Himachal Pradesh Fire Services had earlier issued an advisory restricting the bursting of green crackers to between 8 pm and 10 pm and only in open spaces. However, officials said cracker-bursting continued well past the permitted time.
