Property worth nearly Rs 8 lakh was destroyed when a house caught fire in the Bhattakufar locality of Shimla on Sunday due to a short circuit. No loss of life has been reported.

Owner of the house, Rajinder Thakur, and his family were in the adjacent building when the incident occurred, the police said. The fire was brought under control by locals before the fire brigade reached the spot.

Blaming the fire on voltage fluctuation, Thakur said the area had been grappling with the problem for a long time but no action was taken despite repeated complaints.

“On Saturday night, electric appliances of neighbouring five houses went out of order due to a sudden increase in the voltage,” he added.

Visheshar Sharma, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Kufta Dhar area, said: “I agree that there is a problem of voltage fluctuation here during the winter months, but it was not the cause of short-circuit. The reason for the failure of electrical appliances must have been some individual problem. We will send notices to some houses in the locality that are carrying out welding work during peak evening hours, which could also be a reason for the fluctuation.”