Short circuit guts house and grocery shop in Barwani village, Rs 1.5 lakh cash burnt

A fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in a house and the grocery shop attached to it in Amba Padava village, under Khetia police station limits in Barwani district. The cause is said to be an electrical short circuit. Household goods and the stock in the shop were reduced to ashes. Property worth lakhs of rupees, including cash, was lost.

According to the information available, a fault developed in the main power line near the house of the owner, Chhagan Dayaram (Dayaram Gulla Bhai). This caused a short circuit, and the fire spread from the house to the grocery shop.

Villagers reached the spot on seeing the flames and tried to put them out. By then, about Rs 1.45 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh in cash had been burnt. The shop's goods, a refrigerator, a Godrej almirah, grain, clothes and other household items were also destroyed. Important documents, including Aadhaar cards and land lease papers for farmland, were lost in the fire.

On being informed, the sarpanch of Bhaygaon gram panchayat and the local patwari reached the spot and assessed the damage. According to villagers, a fire tender could not be contacted in time because of a network problem.

The tehsildar and the local MLA have also been informed of the incident. The process of informing the police station and getting a report registered is under way. The administration is assessing the loss caused by the fire.