KAITHAL: A sudden fire that broke out in the afternoon in the Baba Ladana village of the district reduced the hard work and hopes of farmers to ashes in just a few hours. This massive fire, which broke out in the fields near the canal between the villages of Baba Ladana and Budha Kheda, engulfed approximately 53 acres of standing wheat crop. The incident, which occurred around 2 pm, on Sunday sent shockwaves through the entire area.
According to eyewitnesses, passersby saw black smoke rising from the fields and immediately alerted the farmers and the fire brigade. The fire quickly escalated, turning the golden crops into ashes . Upon receiving the information, farmers from the village rushed to the scene with tractors and other machines and began trying to control the fire.
Given the gravity of the situation, four fire brigade vehicles from Kaithal, Kalayat, and Dhanouri arrived at the scene. Through the combined efforts of villagers and firefighters, the fire was brought under control after nearly three hours of hard work. During this time, chaos reigned in the fields, and everyone's attention was focused on the burning crops.
However, the exact cause of the fire is not yet known. Preliminary estimates suggest the fire may have been caused by a short circuit or an external spark. Fire department officials are investigating the matter.
Many farmers suffered heavy losses in this fire. As per information received, Farmer Ratna 18 acres, Jai Bhagwan 6 acres, Sumer Chand's 4 acres, Sita Ram 10.5 acres, Jagdeep Singh 4 acres, Sandeep 1.5 acres, PP Saini 4 acres, and Praveen 3 acres, along with other farmers, lost their crops completely.
Fire station in-charge Rajkumar said that the team arrived at the scene as soon as the information was received and, with the help of the villagers, the fire was brought under control. He said that a report is being prepared to assess the damage, based on which further action will be taken.
Following the incident, affected farmers have demanded adequate compensation from the government. They say the loss has cost them a year's worth of hard work and that their financial situation could become dire if they don't receive immediate assistance.