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8-year-old child killed, at least 7 people missing as major fire breaks out at house in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan

Solan Deputy Commissioner Man Mohan Sharma said the missing people are labourers who hail from Nepal and Bihar.

2 min readShimlaUpdated: Jan 12, 2026 11:31 AM IST

Rescue teams rush to site after administration receives information about the blaze (Express)

An eight-year-old child died and at least seven people, including women, have gone missing after a major fire broke out at a house in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district late Sunday night.

The incident took place at the main market near the Old Bus Stand in Arki around 2 am. Officials said although the fire was later brought under control, a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has arrived at the spot to trace the missing people, who are believed to have been trapped in the structure at the time of the blaze.

Teams from the administration rushed to the spot as soon as they received information about the blaze.

Eight year old child dies and seven go missing after major fire at house in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district (Express)

Man Mohan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Solan, said the child, whose gender is yet to be ascertained, was pronounced dead by doctors at a government hospital. “Around seven to eight people, all natives of Nepal and Bihar, were stated to be missing. The victims were labourers and comprised two to three families. Ex-gratia relief will be released to the kin of the victims once the rescue operation is complete,” the DC stated.

Gaurav Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Solan, said, “Someone took a burning brazier (angithi) inside the house, which caused a fire. Local residents claimed that some gas cylinders also exploded. A forensic examination of the spot will make things clear.”

Arki Congress MLA Sanjay Awasthy reached the spot along with others on Monday morning. Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition (LoP) and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, and BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal expressed deep concerns over the incident.

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