A fire in the Jubbal area of Shimla district destroyed seven houses and rendered nine families without shelter, authorities said on Monday.

About 80 heavily timbered rooms of seven houses in Praunthi panchayat were completely gutted in the fire that broke out around Monday 1 am. No loss of human life or cattle was reported.

Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot from Jubbal, Rohru, Chirgaon, and Kotkhai fire stations but the blaze had engulfed the houses by the time they reached, Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.? It took the fire tenders six hours to douse the fire, he said.

Sky-high flames drew the attention of a large number of people from surrounding villages who rushed to the spot to rescue people. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained and a case has been registered and investigations are underway, police said.

The affected families said that they lost about Rs 7-10 crore worth of property collectively in the blaze.