3 charred to death as huts catch fire in Chennai

CHENNAI, August 4: Three persons, including two children, were burnt alive in a fire that reduced 1,100 huts in the city’s Muthu Nagar area to ashes this afternoon. Two State ministers who visited the area to commiserate with the slum dwellers were pelted with stones and chased away. Both were treated for head injuries at the Government General Hospital. Eleven fire engines battled for over three hours to put out the blaze. The fire tenders found it a difficult task as the lanes were narrow and drains blocked their path. The irate slum dwellers also attacked fire brigade personnel and damaged fire engines.