Ludhiana, April 20: More than 55 acres of wheat and stubble were reduced to ash in separate fire incidents across Ludhiana district on Friday and Saturday, causing significant economic losses and raising serious concerns about emergency preparedness in rural areas.
The largest blaze occurred in Chaunta village, where ripened wheat crop spread over nearly 18 acres was destroyed. The fire was reportedly sparked by a short circuit in overhead electricity wires, said local farmers.
Gurdeep Singh, one of the first to notice the flames, said, “The fire broke out suddenly and spread rapidly through the standing wheat. Despite our efforts, we couldn’t control it before it consumed the entire area.”
The affected farmers include former sarpanch Jaswant Singh, Ramesh Lal Satyana, Davinder Singh Chaunta, Kulwant Singh, Balbir Singh Dholanwal, Rajinder Singh Dholanwal, Pritam Singh, Kuldeep Singh, and DC Singh Dholanwal.
Farmers expressed frustration over the delayed response by fire brigade teams from Ludhiana. “The engines arrived late. By then, most of the crop was already destroyed,” Gurdeep added. Farmers demanded a fire unit be stationed closer to rural belts during the harvest season.
Responding to the delay, a fire brigade official said, “We left as soon as we received the alert, but the 20-kilometre distance and heavy traffic caused unavoidable delays. Our teams remain on standby and respond as quickly as possible.”
In another incident along Rampur Road in Doraha, four acres of wheat and 20 acres of stubble were gutted on Friday. Gurshan Singh, one of the affected farmers, blamed loose electricity wires along the fields. “We had lodged several complaints, but no action was taken. On Friday, sparks from the dangling wires ignited the dry stubble,” he said.
Firefighters confirmed their team had initially been attending to a blaze at a stubble dump in Payal when the Doraha call came in. They were diverted and managed to control the flames.
The Payal fire, which broke out at a 15-acre stubble dump near Raimalra village, posed an even greater threat. Staff from a nearby marriage palace and local residents attempted to control the fire as it spread dangerously close to a gas agency. Multiple fire engines were called, and the fire was extinguished by Saturday afternoon.
Gurjit Singh, owner of the marriage palace, said the stubble dump had been a concern for months. “We requested authorities repeatedly to remove it, but nothing was done,” he said.
Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura visited the site and ordered the sub-divisional magistrate and municipal council to assist affected families and ensure immediate removal of nearby stubble piles.
