MANSEHRA: Seven houses were gutted when a huge fire ripped through an entire locality in Taribair village of Garhi Habibullah area on Wednesday night.

`Our team rushed to the area immediately after learning about the incident and actively participated in extinguishing the fire along with residents,` SHO of the Garhi Habibullah police station Liaqat Shah told reporters.

The fire swiftly engulfed the houses, most of which were built with extensive use of wood placed closely together, leaving cash, gold ornaments and other household valuables, in ashes.

According to witnesses, fire tenders and firefighters didn`t reach the area on time due to the difficult mountainous terrain, allowing fire to spread rapidly. Residents rushed to the spot soon after the blaze erupted and shifted trapped women and children to safety.

They, along with police personnel, used water, sand and soil to control the flames, which rose high into the sky due to the wooden roofs, doors and windows.

`The ceilings and rooftops were made of wooden beams and planks, which fuelled the fire and made it difficult to extinguish, which was finally controlled after hectic efforts of several hours,` the SHO said.

He added that while the incident caused huge losses to the affected families, no one was injured thanks to the timely response by locals.

The police registered an FIR and launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.

DEWORMING DRIVE: The Upper Kohistan administration haslaunched a deworming campaign for teenagers and schoolchildren in the district.

`We have launched this drive across the district, and children between five and 12 years of age will be protected against the increasing parasitic infestations that cause weight loss, fever and other complications,` Deputy Commissioner Tariq Ali Khan told the launching ceremony at a government school in Dasu on Thursday.

He said that schoolchildren from grades 1 to 10 would also be administered deworming tablets during the ongoing campaign, launched on December 8 and concluding on December 12.

`Parents should cooperate with the health department teams that are moving door to door and educational institutions across the district to administer the medicines to children,` he said.

Mr Khan said that worm infestations often led to mild diarrhoea, bloating, fever and weight loss, and reduced children`s activeness and concentration levels.

`This deworming campaign will help improve the health and intelligence of teenagers, enabling them to perform better in school and at home, he said.

The deputy commissioner said the district administration was playing an active role in ensuring the success of the campaign, which would only be possible if parents welcomed the visiting health teams to their neighbourhoods and villages.

`The assistant commissioner and additional deputy commissioner are regularly visiting various areas to monitor the campaign and achieve the desired results, as the health of our youngsters is of utmost importance,` he said.