Two women were charred to death in a major fire incident occurred in Gadadharpur village of Chainpur gram panchayat under Cuttack district’s Athgarh block on Wednesday.
While one old woman, identified as Chaya, was burnt alive, another woman, who had sustained critical burn injuries, succumbed at the Sub-Divisional Hospital at Athgarh.
The fire that spread on Wednesday afternnon engulfed the entire village reducing 80 thatched houses to ashes. Property worth lakhs were destroyed in the fire.
Four fire tenders and firefighting personnel from Athgarh, Tigiria, Baramba and Arati Steels were pressed into service to douse the flame.
Athgarh Deputy Collector, local tehsildar and other concerned officials rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Since all the houses were reduced to ashes, the administration has made arrangements at the school building at Chainpur for providing temporary shelter to the villagers.