A lorry carrying a consignment of tendu leaves was gutted in a fire mishap at Mangavaibaduva village in Dummugudem mandal of Khammam district on Friday. The incident caused panic among the passersby as it occurred on the busy Bhadrachalam-Charla main road.
Bags containing a huge quantity of tendu leaves worth Rs 2.50 lakh were reduced to ashes in the incident. Sources said that the incident occurred when the tendu leaves-laden lorry came in contact with low-lying power supply lines on the outskirts of Mangavaibaduva village on Friday afternoon. Fire sparks from the electric wires fell on the bags leading to the mishap, sources added.
On noticing smoke emanating from the rear portion of the lorry, the driver drove the vehicle straight into the roadside agricultural fields and jumped out of the vehicle. The vehicle went up in flames due to strong winds. But the timely action of the driver averted a major fire disaster on the busy road. The vehicular movement was disrupted for some time following the incident. A fire tender rushed to the spot from Bhadrachalam. A case has been registered.
