Fire accident kills sheep and destroys maize in Khammam

A fire accident in Khammam’s Chintakani mandal destroyed hundreds of quintals of maize and killed nearly 60 sheep. The incident, reportedly caused by burning crop residue, has triggered protests by farmers demanding compensation and procurement support.

Khammam: Hundreds of quintals of harvested maize were consumed by flames and nearly 60 sheep perished in a fire accident at Patarlapadu in Chintakani mandal in the Deputy Chief Minister’s constituency in the district, reportedly due to a delay in procuring and transporting the produce.

The fire accident was caused after unidentified persons burnt crop residue in the village on Sunday late evening, and a gusty windstorm led to the fire spreading rapidly in the fields where farmers had kept the produce for drying.

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It was said that a flock of 200 sheep, which were being herded home by a shepherd Veerababu of Patarlapadu, got caught in the sudden outbreak of fire. Due to dense smoke and the rapid spread of flames, the sheep were unable to find an escape route and remained trapped in the fire.

According to him, 25 sheep were burnt alive in the flames, another 10 sheep died during the night, while nearly 30 sheep with burns went missing and around 50 other sheep sustained partial burn injuries, besides ten sheep losing their eyesight as a result of the fire.

BRS leader Lingala Kamal Raju, CPI (M) leader Nunna Nageswara Rao and others visited the village on Monday and staged a protest at Nagulavancha in the mandal, demanding justice for the affected farmers and the shepherd.

They alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka had failed to visit and console the affected farmers in his constituency. Vikramarka works solely for the sake of commissions and shows no concern for the issues faced by farmers, they alleged.

State Warehousing Corporation R Nageswara Rao and DCC president Nuthi Satyanarayana also visited the village and assured farmers that every single grain of maize harvested by them would be procured. Steps would be taken to assess the loss and provide compensation, they said.

Meanwhile, in Kothagudem district, a group of farmers along with BRS and Left parties staged a rasta-roko at Mondikunta in Aswapuram mandal on the Manuguru-Kothagudem highway, demanding the government procure paddy.