Twenty-four houses in Baijanathpur village under Harishchandrapur police station of Malda district were gutted in a blaze on Saturday night.

The fire, which broke out after an LPG cylinder exploded in one of the houses, also led to the loss of three cattle, five two-wheelers, along with jewellery, cash and other belongings. There was no human casualty.

Sources said the cylinder exploded at the home of one Hasen Ali. Soon, it started spreading in adjoining houses where his relatives reside.

“The fire spread so far that we could hardly take out any of our belongings. We are fortunate that all our family members could escape unhurt. Forget motorcycles, we could not even take out the jewellery and cash from our homes,” said Sayed Ali, one of the affected villagers.

All the houses that got damaged are concrete ones with tin roofs. In all, the total loss of property is estimated to be worth around Rs 1 crore.

As the news spread, two fire tenders from Harishchandrapur fire station reached the village along with the police. It took around four hours to bring the blaze under control.

“The houses are next to paddy fields and a steady wind aggravated the fire. Though it was doused, the loss could not be minimised,” said Ramjan Ali, a panchayat member.

The homeless families have been provided food and shelter by the panchayat.