Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady

Beltangady, Feb 7: Accidental fires broke out at a total of five locations across the taluk on Friday due to electrical short circuits and other reasons, resulting in shrubs and vegetation being burnt along roadsides and in plantations. In a separate incident, a parked lorry in Ujire also caught fire due to a short circuit.

At Paramukha in Mundaje village, a coconut plantation belonging to John was affected by the fire. Another incident was reported along the Mundaje–Didupe road, where a roadside area near the Mandaje Mosque was gutted in an accidental blaze.

In Ujire, a lorry parked along the main road caught fire following a short circuit. Fire and emergency services personnel, along with local residents, rushed to the spot and carried out fire-fighting operations.

Within the limits of the Beltangady town panchayat, a fire broke out near the Bhagirathi Compound on the MESCOM road after a jumper from a high-tension power line snapped and fell. A water tanker belonging to a roadwork contracting company operating nearby was used to douse the flames. Former Town Panchayat president Jayananda Gowda, MESCOM officer Clement Benjamin Braggs, forest officials and local residents extended their cooperation in controlling the fire.

Another accidental fire was reported at Manchakallu in Nada village, where roadside vegetation caught fire. Fire brigade personnel, forest officials and locals jointly undertook efforts to extinguish the blaze. With the Beltangady fire station having recently received a new vehicle, fire-fighting operations have gained additional strength at present.

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