MULTAN, April 14: Dozens of huts made of reed were gutted here on Wednesday when a fire caught a settlement of poor scavengers on the Railway Road. The fire, which erupted early in the morning due to unknown reason, engulfed the whole settlement within no time.

However, the families managed to run out of their smouldering abodes. But, they could not save their belongings from being gutted. Two-year-old Naeem suffered burn injuries after which he was admitted to the Nishtar Hospital.

Kitchen utensils were reduced to ashes and pet animals and few donkeys charred by the fire, which was extinguished later by the fire brigade. Later, the affected people blocked traffic on the nearby busy Dera Adda chowk when no official turned up to console them for their loss.

They burnt used tyres and chanted slogans against the local administration for what they alleged its apathetic attitude. District Nazim Riaz Husain Qureshi reached there after a couple of hours and pacified the mob by announcing that they would be amply recompensed.

He directed the officials concerned to provide them with tents temporarily. However, the order was not implemented till last reports came in at night.