13 huts gutted in fire; 1 person suffers burn injuries

: Thirteen huts were gutted in a fire at Thannilapadi village in the district today, leaving one person with burn injuries after an LPG cylinder in his hut burst due to the flames, police said.
Official sources said the fire first broke out in a hut and soon spread to other huts, fanned by winds.
A short circuit in the first hut is suspected to have caused the fire.
Fire tenders from nearby Kilvelur and Vailankanni towns rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire after a two hour battle.
Nagapattinam District Collector T Munusamy and other officials visited the spot.

The Collector distributed Rs 5,000 cash and other essential commodities to the affected families and ordered the revenue department to arrange for temporary shelter to them.