MITHl: A big fire destroyed 20 houses and reduced everything present in and around them to ashes in Rathi village of Nagarparkar on Tuesday, within 24 hours of a bigger fire in the same area that had destroyed over 100 houses.

The fire in Rathi village broke out suddenly and engulfed one house after the other swiftly.

Residents of the village belonging to the Charan community extinguished it in an hours-long struggle on a self-help basis.

The fire rendered 30 families without shelter, food and water. Family heads told local reporters that the fire brigade of the area was alerted on time but `we had already lost all our belongings to the fire by the time they arrived here`.

They said they used sand, stones and junk to fight the fire, due to unavailability of water in the desert area, but nothing worked to extinguish it.

They told local reporters that the belongings they lost included food grain, a small stock of water, cash, valuables and animals, besides household articles.

On Monday evening, a fire destroyed almost all houses in Veera Wah village near Nagarparkar. Several hundred people, including women and children, spent the night under open sky and without food and water.

They kept waiting for the local administration`s assistance on Tuesday for their rehabilitation.