Paddy stocks go up in flamesin Durg, over 500 quintals lost

Raipur: Hundreds of quintals of paddy stored at a government procurement centre in Durg district were destroyed after a massive fire broke out on Saturday, triggering concerns over the safety of foodgrain stocks that are routinely stored in the open for extended periods.The blaze erupted at the Kodia paddy procurement centre under Nandini police station limits and quickly spread through stacked paddy before firefighters managed to bring it under control after several hours of effort.Officials gave varying estimates of the loss, with preliminary assessments indicating that more than 500 quintals of paddy may have been damaged in the fire. No casualties were reported.According to local residents, the fire may have originated from stubble burning in a nearby field and spread to the procurement centre. Though the exact cause would be established only after a detailed investigation.Five fire tenders were pressed into service as flames engulfed a large portion of the stored grain. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours and used multiple water tankers before preventing the fire from spreading further across the premises.Every year, large quantities of procured paddy remain stacked in the open and are often exposed to rain and moisture before being lifted for transportation. While weather-related damage has frequently been flagged by farmers and opposition parties, this time the threat came in the form of fire.Durg collector Abhijeet Singh rushed to the spot and reviewed the situation. He directed officials to assess the extent of the loss and conduct a probe into the circumstances that led to the blaze.Officials said timely intervention by the fire brigade helped prevent the flames from reaching adjoining stacks, averting what could have been a much larger loss.