NEW DELHI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 hutments were gutted in a devastating fire Monday morning in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.
The fire broke out at a slum area in Meerut district, about 475 km northwest of Lucknow city, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
No loss of life was reported in the incident.
"Today over 100 hutments and shops were gutted in a fire which broke out in Ashiana colony's slum area here," a police official said. "So far there are no reposts of casualties in the incident."
Reports said all the people were safely rescued by local volunteers.
Following the incident, fire tenders were pressed into service to contain the flame and it took hours for firefighters to douse the flames.
Locals said the entire stretch has been reduced to ashes and columns of smoke rise from the area.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Chances of fire in Indian villages and cites are usually high as people usually ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire and store fuel and combustible materials in a haphazard manner.