ARKI (SOLAN), Jan 12 – A midnight fire turned into a tragedy in Himachal’s Arki subdivision on Monday, claiming the life of a young boy and leaving several people missing.3 The fire erupted around 2:30 am in the Old Bus Stand area, gutting two residential-cum-commercial structures and causing extensive damage to the market.
Rescue teams are currently searching for four to five individuals feared trapped inside the remains of the buildings. The intensity of the fire was increased by the presence of gas cylinders. “Two buildings were completely damaged, and the blaze was aggravated by LPG cylinders that were heard exploding,” local officials reported.4
Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh stated that the young victim, aged approximately seven or eight, died within the UCO Bank branch after it was engulfed by the flames. The bank was among the primary structures hit by the fast-moving fire.
It took over four hours and a massive joint effort from multiple fire stations, including those from Solan and Darlaghat, to contain the inferno. Though the flames were extinguished by 7:00 am, the area remains cordoned off as recovery teams sift through the wreckage. Authorities have launched an inquiry to determine what triggered the blaze in the densely packed market area.
