Angul: Two persons including a minor girl were charred to death in two separate incidents of fire mishaps in Angul district late Friday night.
In the first instance, an elderly man, identified as Govindadala Behera of Koradapada village under Purunakot police limits charred to death while he was asleep last night.
Behera succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital.
In the second incident, a minor girl was burnt alive in her house at Sulaeipala village under Rangali police limits in the district.
The deceased was identified as Malati Gochayat (11).
She was immediately rescued and initially rushed to Khamar hospital. Later, she was shifted to Angul district headquarters hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.
Police reached the village and seized the body for post-mortem.
Similarly, four houses were gutted and 8 goats charred to death in a massive fire which broke out at Pujarisahajbahal village in Sonepur district last night.
According to sources, the fire broke out at a house due to a short-circuit. It soon engulfed four houses and the cattle shed. Fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flame.
There was no loss of human life. Eight goats were killed in the fire. Properties including furniture, valuable documents and goods worth lakhs of rupees were reduced to ashes, sources said.
Moreover, paddy worth over lakhs were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire that broke out at Maharajpur village in Balasore district last night.
According to sources, paddy stacks belonging to Surendra Nayak of the village caught fire. It soon enveloped nearby paddy stacks.
Some villagers immediately informed Nayak about the fire who then contacted the fire department officials. Fire tenders rushed to the village to put out the blaze. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, fire personnel said.
Sources said Nayak had cultivated paddy in 12 acres of land this year. The stuff was stacked for threshing. It was reduced to ashes after the fire.
PNN
