May 15, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, May 14: Five people sustained burn injuries and 12 houses were gutted while a dozen farm animals burnt alive when a fire broke out in village Allahdad Lashari near Lakha road on Wednesday.

Around 112 wheat bags, jewellery and other valuables and Rs40,000 cash were reduced to ashes as two cows, three buffalos, seven goats were burnt alive in the fire.

Fire incidents are common in these hot, dry and windy summer days. Village houses are usually made up of wood and dried grass which could easily catch fire since their kitchens are in open and without natural gas connections.

On the other hand it is not unfair to mention the vital character the stocked wheat grains and farm animal play in the country life.

Farmers after harvesting and selling major part of their wheat crop production set aside some portion of it to feed their families for the rest of the year. And if anything bad happened to that food stock it could endanger their food supply for the rest of the year. And farm animals are the most important assets of village people. Villages use them for farming, cultivation and for transportation purpose. Farmers also heavily rely on these animals as they supply milk.

In this context one can imagine what the loss of farm animals and destruction of wheat stock means.

ROBBERY: Four armed men snatched a motorcycle and a gun from a security guard when he was going to his village near Kandiaro.—Correspondent