Rice sheller gutted, hundreds of paddy bags burnt

A major fire broke out at a rice sheller located on the Sultanpur Lodhi road, causing extensive damage and resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees. The fire originated in the paddy drying unit (dryer) of the mill and quickly spread to the nearby stock, reducing around 800 bags of paddy to ashes.

The incident occurred at the rice sheller owned by Prakash Chand Karodimal. The flames erupted from the dryer and intensified rapidly, leaving workers with little time to control the situation. As the fire spread, it engulfed the paddy bags stacked close to the drying unit, significantly worsening the damage.

The Fire Department was informed, following which a rescue and firefighting operation was launched.

Two fire tenders were pressed into service and after nearly three hours of efforts, the fire was brought under control.

No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident. However, the mill owner stated that the destruction of such a large quantity of paddy has resulted in substantial financial losses running into lakhs of rupees.

At present, the exact cause of the fire remains unknown. Fire Department officials have stated that investigation will be conducted to determine whether the blaze was triggered by a technical fault in the dryer, overheating, or any other factor.