Team Goemkarponn
VALPOI: Incidents of fire breaking out in dry grass have been on the rise in various parts of Sattari taluka over the past few days, causing significant damage to cashew plantations. In one such incident, a major fire broke out on Thursday afternoon at Saleli village in the Honda Panchayat area, resulting in extensive damage to cashew orchards and causing heavy losses to cashew growers.
According to sources from the Valpoi Fire Brigade, the loss is estimated to be worth several lakhs of rupees. Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot immediately and managed to save a large amount of property by bringing the blaze under control.
As per further details, the fire started in dry grass in the cashew plantation at Saleli on Thursday afternoon. Cashew growers initially tried to extinguish the fire on their own, but due to the presence of dry grass and strong winds, the fire spread rapidly. As it became impossible to control the flames, the Valpoi Fire Brigade was called in. The fire personnel successfully doused the fire, but despite their efforts, more than 200 cashew grafts were completely destroyed.
Cashew growers stated that since the fire broke out during the afternoon hours, controlling it was extremely difficult. However, the timely arrival of the fire brigade helped prevent further large-scale damage. Even so, many cashew grafts were destroyed, leading to heavy financial losses. Growers also pointed out that the dry grass in the plantation significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. However, since the plantation ki is located along the roadside, growers have expressed the possibility of the fire being caused either intentionally by unidentified persons or due to an accidental incident.
Fire brigade sources have informed that the exact assessment of losses is still underway, but preliminary estimates indicate damages running into several lakhs of rupees. The cashew trees in the affected plantation have been completely destroyed, severely impacting several cashew growers.
During the firefighting operation, Krishna Naik led the efforts, with Mahadev Gawade, Dnyaneshwar Sawant, and Umesh Gavkar making significant contributions.
