BADIN, Feb 2: At least eight houses were reduced to ashes when fire broke in the Haji Abdul Rehman Chandio village 5km from here on Saturday.

Affected people said that their households, including ornaments, cash, grain, were reduced to ashes.

A man, Sahib Khan Chandio, said that all his valuable, including costly clothes, sets of gold ornaments purchased for the marriage of his son scheduled to be held on Feb 8, were burnt.

The villagers complained that some of the houses could have been saved if the fire brigade had continued to work and added that fire brigade from the Badin Municipal went out of order during the second trip of carrying water.