BALAKOT(National Times)- A devastating fire broke out in Jareed, a village located in the scenic Kaghan Valley, reducing seven residential houses to ashes and leaving families with losses worth millions. According to details the fire erupted due to unknown reasons, quickly spread across the wooden structures, turning the houses into ashes. Eyewitnesses said the fire had engulfed the houses in a matter of minutes and that locals had hardly any time to retrieve their belongings. Villagers immediately began a self-help rescue effort with human chains and whatever little resources they could muster to control the burning. However, the task turned out to be very difficult due to the intensity of the fire and heavy smoke. Locals said the families affected lost their lifetime savings, as everything inside the homes from household items to livestock and food was completely burned. Financial losses are estimated at millions of rupees, which has increased the level of shock and hardship for the victims. Since there was no immediate access to the fire brigade in the remote area, the blaze continued unabated for hours before the locals partially contained it. Locals have demanded that the district administration take urgent relief measures and provide temporary shelter and compensation to the affected households. Authorities are expected to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire as rescue teams dispatched to the scene to assess further damage. The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the community, struggling to recover from the unforeseen disaster.