Pics: Pareekshith Shet
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (PS/EP)

Udupi, May 22: Fifteen huts were reduced to ashes after two gas cylinders exploded at Adkadakatte, Nittur here on Monday May 22.

Fifteen migrant families of construction workers were staying in fifteen huts here for sometime. A woman in one of the huts set fire to trash in a deserted well located near the huts. Unfortunately, sparks from the well hit one of the huts which had a gas cylinder, resulting in the explosion.

A cylinder in another hut also caught the flames and exploded. Soon, there was an inferno that engulfed all the fifteen huts and more than ten trees in the vicinity. As there was nobody in the huts at the time of the incident, no casualty or injury was reported.

The fire brigade arrived and doused the flames.

Udupi town police visited the place. CMC president Meenakshi Madhava Bannanje expressed regret and said that she would take action regarding construction of huts without CMC's permission and without proper amenities.

While a piece of the cylinder was found fallen in front of a house about 50 meters away, another piece was found to have fallen on a house about 100 meters away.

The land where the huts were constructed belongs to Babu. He had constructed them in order to recover rent from the migrated workers, it is learnt.