The fire, which is suspected to have started in one of the huts spread to the other huts too, police sources said.

As the fire began to spread, all the residents escaped to safety but their belongings and documents were entirely gutted. All their efforts to put out the fire were in vain, after which they alerted the police and fire department later.

Ten fire engines from Tondiarpet, Vyasarpadi, Vepery, and Kolathur fire stations rushed to the scene, and after more than two hours, they put out the blaze.

Preliminary investigations have suggested that a leak from an LPG cylinder in one of the huts could have triggered the fire. Most of the huts had thatched roofs and makeshift asbestos sheets as walls, because of which the fire spread quickly, police said.