SHIMLA: A massive fire engulfed the old bus stand area of Arki market in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district in the early hours of Monday, claiming the lives of three people, including an eight-year-old boy, Priyansh from Bihar.The blaze broke out around 2:45 am in an old wooden residential building housing eight migrant families from Nepal and one from Bihar. According to eyewitnesses, the fire spread rapidly to over 10 nearby shops and buildings following a series of LPG cylinder explosions.

Solan SP Gaurav Singh confirmed that three bodies were retrieved by evening. Rescue operations are underway to locate seven others feared trapped in the debris. Most of the missing are Nepalese nationals from Salyan in Nepal’s Karnali province, who were residing in the building owned by Rajeev Kumar. Two people injured in the incident are receiving treatment at the civil hospital in Arki. Firefighting teams from Arki, Boileaugang (Shimla), Banalgi (Solan), and the Ambuja Cement Company battled the flames for several hours. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was later deployed, using excavators to clear the debris. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed Solan deputy commissioner Manmohan Sharma to investigate the cause of the fire and ensure immediate assistance for the injured and the families of the deceased. The Arki SDM office has extended financial aid of Rs 25,000 to the victims families. The district administration, in coordination with the Red Cross Society, distributed blankets, tarpaulins, utensils, and warm clothing to the displaced families. Earlier in the day, Arki MLA Sanjay Awasthi visited the site to oversee the rescue efforts.