Karkala: Elderly man dies after sustaining severe burns in Nitte plantation fire

Karkala: Elderly man dies after sustaining severe burns in Nitte plantation fire

Mangalore Today News Network

Karkala, Apr 10, 2026: An elderly man who suffered critical burn injuries while trying to extinguish a fire in his plantation in Nitte village’s Bajekala area died at the hospital on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Jayakar Shetty (80), a resident of ‘Shivapooja’ house in Bajekala. After the incident, personnel from the Karkala Fire Station rescued him and shifted him to KMC Hospital, Manipal for treatment. However, he failed to respond and passed away later that night.

According to reports, the fire accidentally broke out in Shetty’s plantation, which had coconut and arecanut trees. The flames spread rapidly through the dry vegetation. In an attempt to douse the fire, Shetty entered the plantation but got trapped due to the intensity of the blaze.

His wife, Pushpa, noticed the incident and raised an alarm. Local resident Sadananda Hegde and others rushed to help, but by then, Shetty had sustained severe burns.

Fire personnel reached the spot, rescued him, and shifted him to the hospital by ambulance. The team also managed to bring the fire under control.

Karkala Fire Station Officer Albert Monis, Assistant Station Officer Chandrashekhar, and staff members Achyuth Karkera, Hariprasad, Basavaraj, and Lokesh were part of the rescue and firefighting operation.