38 thatched houses of Konda Reddi tribe gutted in fire mishap in Kakinada district

Remnants of thatched houses gutted in a fire mishap at Sarlanka village in Kakinada district.
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At least 38 thatched houses belonging to members of Konda Reddi tribe have been gutted in a fire mishap reportedly due to short circuit at Sarlanka village in Prathipadu Mandal in Kakinada district on Monday night (January 13). No casualties of inhabitants or cattle were reported. The incident occurred while the tribals had left for the weekly shandy ahead of Sankranti celebrations.

According to locals, a short circuit occurred in village electricity supply, leading to a fire mishap which spread to the nearby thatched houses. The 38 houses that were gutted in the mishap are inhabited by 56 families. The tribals whoever were present in the village could not communicate about the incident to the authorities concerned on time due to absence of mobile network.

Kakinada Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sana Sateesh and Prathipadu MLA Varupula Satyaprabha visited the village, which is sharing border with Anakapalli district.

The locals have claimed that the recent harvested paddy was yet to be brought home from their fields. The Kakinada district police are engaged in relief operation.