MITHI: Three villagers were injured and several cattle heads burned alive in a big fire that reduced more than 40 thatched houses and other structures to ashes in Bhorilo village near Chelhar town on Friday.

Residents of the village said the fire started in one of the houses and spread swiftly to engulf more than 40 others due to strong winds.

Speaking to local reporters, they said they had sent distress calls to the officials concerned at Chelhar and Mithi but no fire engines could reach the village until the fire subsided on its own.

The affected families could not guess how and why the fire broke out saying that this all happened when it was not the time for cooking of making tea and all of them denied having lit a stove to cook something or a matchstick to smoke cigarette.

All the families living in the village belonged to the Meghwar community.

They said they lost all their belongings and valuables including gold ornament, cash and food grain stocks to the fire.

They said three persons suffered burns while all adult males in the village were making their desperate efforts to put out the fire.

It later transpired that a few fire engines had left their station in Chelhar for the village but stuck up in sandy dunes on the way.

The affected families, around 200 men, women and children, were waiting for help and assistance from the local administration when last reports came in at around midnight.

Published in Dawn, February 29th, 2020