Huts of migrant workers in Udupi district reduced to ashes in blaze

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, May 24,2017: As many as 20 small huts of migrant workers were destroyed in an outbreak of fire at Adkadakatte near Nittur in Udupi district  However, there were no injuries or loss of life in the incident.

The incident took place in the afternoon, the huts belonged to migrant workers and they were mostly out to work, when the fire broke out. Two gas cylinders in the huts too caught fire and exploded due to the fire.

Chandrashekhar Bhandary, Fire Station Officer, made a statement that the fire station received a call at 2.15 p.m. Fire tender rushed, this was not enough, another fire tender was requisitioned from Malpe. As many as 12 fire services personnel worked for over an hour and brought the fire under control.

The gas cylinders fortunately was not too full so the explosion was not too grave . Since these huts have plastic and dry coconut leaves for their roofs, they are highly inflammable, said Maheshchandra, Udupi Tahsildar.

The utensils and other daily use items of the workers were completely destroyedand  five coconut trees nearby caught fire but  was extinguished by the fire services personnel.  About 50 migrant workers were living in these huts. They had shifted to the huts of their relatives nearby. The huts were built on “patta land” at Adkadakatte. Meenakshi Bannanje, president of the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC), visited the spot as soon as she learnt of incident.