BALASORE: Standing paddy crop over 25 acres of farmland was burnt to ashes at Kuliada panchayat in Basta here on Sunday, leaving several farmers in distress. The incident took place at around 1 pm when standing paddy in a field caught fire mysteriously. The air blowing from the north helped the fire spread to nearby fields, said, eyewitnesses. Farmers of Dhuliuda village in Kuliada were the most affected by the mishap.

Sources said the firefighting team could not reach the spot in time due to lack of road connectivity. Both farmers and firefighters managed to control the fire after standing crops over more than 25 acres were reduced to ashes.

The farmers suspect that the fire may have been caused either by a person who carelessly threw a matchstick after lighting a bidi or intentionally by someone to take revenge for past enmity. Local MLA Aswini Patra along with Basta Tehsildar Narendra Khamrai reached the spot to take stock of the situation. The MLA assured the affected farmers of compensation after an inquiry by district officials. The Tehsildar has directed the Revenue Inspector to probe the matter and submit a report at the earliest following which compensation will be provided to the affected farmers.