A major fire broke out in Rakhi Mandi, under the Raipurwa police station area in Kanpur, resulting in nearly 50 shanties being gutted on Tuesday morning, according to a fire official. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

The fire rapidly intensified, shrouding the sky with thick smoke. Local residents noticed the smoke and promptly informed the fire brigade, while also attempting to douse the flames themselves. Fire tenders from nearby areas were dispatched to the scene, and efforts are ongoing to contain the blaze.

Reports suggest that scrap materials accumulated in the vicinity caught fire, spreading to nearby areas and engulfing at least 50 shanties, leaving them completely destroyed.

Rakhi Mandi is densely populated, with numerous shanties. Fortunately, residents managed to evacuate safely, although they lamented the loss of their belongings, which were consumed by the fire.

Teams from the Raipurwa police station are present at the scene, along with fire tenders from various stations.

Jitendra, a local resident, revealed that over 50 families have been rendered homeless by the fire, with all their possessions reduced to ashes.

BJP MLA Mahesh Trivedi, who visited the site upon receiving news of the fire, alleged illegal hoarding of chemicals and scrap materials in the area. He highlighted that the land belongs to the Railways and expressed concerns about illicit activities occurring there.

Chief Fire Officer Deepak Sharma stated that fire tenders were dispatched immediately upon receiving the report of the fire. Joint efforts by the fire brigade and police are underway to extinguish the fire, although the cause remains undetermined.

In a similar incident on the same day, a fire broke out in the CT scan room of Pandit Deendayal District Hospital in the Banna Devi police station area. The fire brigade managed to bring the situation under control, with a short circuit suspected as the cause, according to eyewitness Ramesh Chandra, a worker.