GUNTUR: In a tragic incident, a 10-month-old toddler was killed and as many as 15 huts were gutted in a fire mishap at Harijanawada in Pedapalem village of Palnadu district on Wednesday. According to the local police, the farmers set fire to paddy crop waste at their fields, as they were making arrangements for the new crop. Due to heavy winds, the fire spread to the nearby huts in the region gutting as many as 15 huts.
Alert residents managed to come out of their houses, however, a 10-month-old girl G Pallavi, who was asleep in the house when the mishap took place, died in the fire even though the toddler’s mother and grandmother tried to barge in the flaming hut to rescue the baby and got injured.
Upon receiving information, the police and fire department personnel rushed to the spot and doused off the fire. They shifted the two injured to Narasaraopet government hospital for treatment. Palnadu district joint collector Shyam Prasad visited the area and took stock of the situation. He announced Rs 5,000 in financial aid to the affected families and assured them that pucca houses.