A massive fire broke out in a wheat field in Khajurikalan on Saturday afternoon, reducing nearly 15 acres of fully ripened wheat to ashes. The blaze, which erupted around 1:30 pm, destroyed standing crops worth an estimated ?12 lakh and water pipes valued at ?3 lakh.

The fire, suspected to have been triggered by electric wires clashing in high winds, rapidly spread across the dry fields, threatening neighboring plots. Timely action by villagers and the Bhopal Fire Brigade prevented a more extensive disaster.

The affected farmers – Mishrilal Lal Rajput, Kailash Singh Rajput, and Mohan Singh Baghel – were just days away from harvesting their produce. Kabir Singh Rajput, one of the cultivators, said the crop, an improved wheat variety, was due to be harvested within two days and was expected to yield over 450 quintals. However, strong gusts of wind reportedly caused electric wires from a pole running through the field to collide, sparking the fire that quickly engulfed the mature crop.

Villagers made frantic efforts to extinguish the flames before the fire brigade arrived but failed to contain the blaze. The fire department’s timely intervention helped bring the fire under control, though not before significant damage had been done.

Kabir Singh Rajput also revealed that farmers had repeatedly appealed to district authorities and officials from the power department to shift the electric pole and overhead wires away from the field. “Had the authorities acted in time, this disaster could have been averted,” he lamented.