KENDRAPARA: Harvested paddy crops worth several lakhs of rupees were reduced to ashes after a fire broke out in an agriculture field at Padanapur village in Aul here on Saturday night.
The mishap took place at around 10 pm. The fire erupted in a corner of the field and engulfed the paddy heap in no time.
A farmer Masjid Khan said they had stacked around 200 bags of harvested paddy which were supposed to be sold in the nearby primary agriculture cooperative society at Aul. However, the entire paddy stock was destroyed.
Sources said several farmers attempted to douse the fire and retrieve their paddy. However, their efforts went in vain. On being informed, fire services personnel rushed to the spot and managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby fields.
Sk Fazil, a farmer who lost his crops to the fire, said it is suspected that electrical cables near the field came in contact with each other. As sparks flew, the crops caught fire.
Aul tehsildar Santiswarup Mishra visited the village on Sunday and assured to provide assistance to the affected farmers.