The affected family seeks urgent help as savings for a wedding burnt and four rooms destroyed
NEW DELHI – A fire near a mosque in the Eidgah Colony of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has destroyed the home of a poor family and damaged several nearby houses, leaving residents shaken and a family without shelter or savings.
The fire broke out on Thursday evening when a short circuit occurred in a building located next to a mosque in the area. The colony falls under the Ruldu Bhatta ward of the city and is known for its closely packed houses.
According to local reports, the blaze quickly spread through the structure and gutted four rooms of a residential building. While no casualties were reported, the incident caused heavy property damage estimated to be worth lakhs of rupees.
Officials said three to four houses in the crowded colony were affected, though firefighters managed to contain the flames before the fire could spread further.
As soon as the fire started, panic spread across the colony. Residents rushed out of their homes after seeing smoke and flames rising from the building.
Local people immediately tried to control the fire using buckets of water and whatever resources were available.
A resident who witnessed the incident said, “The fire spread very quickly. People began shouting and everyone came out of their houses. We started throwing water and trying to stop it before it reached other homes.”
The fire brigade sent three fire tenders to the area after receiving the alert. Firefighters, working together with locals, managed to bring the blaze under control after a difficult operation.
A member of the fire team said, “When we arrived, the fire had already damaged several rooms. With the help of locals we worked to stop the flames from spreading to nearby houses.”
Officials said that if the fire had spread further in the narrow colony, the damage could have been much worse.
Among the worst affected was the small mud house belonging to Rashida and Hafeez, a couple who had been living in the colony for years. Their entire house was destroyed in the fire. Furniture, clothes, household items and important papers were burned.
The couple also lost cash savings they had carefully collected for the wedding of a younger brother in the family.
Rashida said the loss was heartbreaking.
“We had been saving money for my younger brother’s marriage for a long time,” she said. “All that cash was kept in the house. The fire burned everything. We have nothing left now.”
Hafeez said the family escaped only with the clothes they were wearing.
“When the fire started, we ran outside to save our lives,” he said. “We could not take anything from the house. Everything we owned has burned.”
Neighbours said the family had slowly built their life through years of effort.
One resident said, “They are simple people who worked hard and saved money little by little. Seeing their house destroyed like this is very painful.”
Another neighbour added, “Years of hard work turned to ashes in just a few minutes.”
Community members in the colony have been helping the family with basic support after the disaster.
Following the incident, the affected family appealed to the district administration for urgent help.
Rashida said, “Our home is gone and all our savings are gone. We request the authorities to help us rebuild our house and support us in this difficult time.”
Residents of the colony have also asked the administration to provide relief, shelter and financial assistance to the family.
A local community member said, “They need help with food, shelter and basic things. The government should come forward and support them so they can start their life again.”
Local officials said they are reviewing the situation and assessing the extent of the losses caused by the fire.
Authorities are expected to decide on relief measures and assistance for the affected families in the coming days.
The tragedy has also received attention on the social media platform X, where users shared images and videos of the aftermath and expressed sympathy for the affected family.
A post from Live Times TV Himachal (@livetimestv) said, “Years of hard work reduced to ashes in minutes; fire in Shimla leaves a family homeless and wedding savings for a younger brother burned.”
Journalist Ankush Dobhal (@DobhalAnkush) also shared details of the incident, writing that a fire broke out in a building next to the mosque in Eidgah Colony and that a small house had been completely damaged.
Videos shared online showed the damaged structure and firefighters working at the site. Many users on social media called for quick government help and support from the community for the affected family.
Residents of the colony said the incident has raised concerns about electrical safety in older and crowded neighbourhoods.
Eidgah Colony is made up of closely built houses, and people fear that a similar fire could easily spread to many homes if quick action is not taken.
For Rashida and Hafeez, the disaster has changed their lives overnight.
Standing near the remains of their home, one neighbour quietly said, “In a few minutes, everything they had built over the years was gone.”
