KENDRAPARA: Three persons sustained burn injuries and at least 20 houses were reduced to ashes after a major fire swept through Bramahanikhola village within Rajnagar police limits here on Monday night.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but some locals claimed that it resulted from the hearth of a villager who was preparing Poda Pitha on the eve of Raja festival.
Property worth around Rs 50 lakh was gutted in the mishap. Sanjay Swain, an affected villager, said, "Thatched houses were reduced to ashes affecting at least 14 families. The incident dampened the festive mood in our village."
On being informed, two fire tenders reached the village and doused the blaze. The local tehsildar and police officers also rushed to the village to take stock of the situation. Rajnagar tehsildar Bholanath Sethi said the administration will provide necessary help to all the affected persons.