16 houses gutted as fire breaks out in Himachal Pradesh's Malana village

Sixteen houses were gutted and around 150 people were rendered shelterless after a massive fire broke out at a village in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Wednesday, a disaster management official said.

One person has been injured in the fire incident which took place in Malana village at 1.28 am, State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.

Expressing anguish, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said, "The fire incident in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh is very painful. I extend my sympathies to all the families who have suffered in this tragedy in the historic Malana village. The state government and local administration are engaged in relief and rescue work with alacrity."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed grief over the fire tragedy and said the administration is engaged in rescue work.

"Deeply saddened by the damage caused by the fire in Malana village of Himachal Pradesh. I express my sympathy to all the villagers whose houses were damaged in this accident. The state government and administration are engaged in the rescue work with full dedication," Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.

Thakur has directed the district administration to provide relief and rehabilitation to the affected families.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg, along with other officers, visited the spot and supervised the relief work, a government spokesperson said.