VARANASI, April 25 -- A massive fire reduced a cluster of 25 shanties in a slum on a vacant plot in Varanasi's Bharatnagar locality, Nakkhi Ghat area, to ashes on Thursday afternoon. No casualty was reported from the site. The potential for a major tragedy was averted as over 70 residents, originally from West Bengal, had reportedly traveled to their native villages with their families a few days prior, leaving the huts vacant, according to locals. Chief fire officer Anand Singh Rajput said firefighters brought the blaze under control after approximately three hours of "strenuous effort." Locals informed the fire department and subsequently five fire tenders reached the spot to douse the fire. During the blaze, around three small gas cylinders exploded, while six other cylinders were found in a burnt condition. The residents had set up the shanties on the vacant plot and earned their livelihood through rag picking. The police officials, however, stated that the matter is currently under investigation. An inquiry will be conducted to determine the slum settlement's duration in the Nakkhighat area and to identify the people residing there, a process that follows a similar verification drive conducted last year....