40 thatched houses of tribals gutted in Andhra

According to the preliminary investigation, the fire must have broken out due to a short circuit from one of the houses, police said.

Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh): About 40 thatched houses belonging to tribal families at Sarlanka village in this district were gutted on Monday and there were no causalities or injuries, a police official said.

According to the preliminary investigation, the fire must have broken out due to a short circuit from one of the houses, he said.

"The fire accident must have occurred due to an electric shock short circuit at the house of visually impaired person in Sarlanka village. About 40 thatched houses belonging to tribal families were completely burnt," Peddapuram Deputy Superintendent of Police D Sreehariraju told PTI.

As the thatched houses are made of dry grass or reeds which are highly flammable, even a small spark spreads fire rapidly, engulfing houses within minutes and causing extensive damage, he said.