In Karnataka, braveheart drives burning tractor into lake, saves homes

BENGALURU: A

groundnut farmer

has been hailed a hero by fellow residents after he drove a burning

tractor

into a lake, to prevent the inferno from spreading to over 100 houses in Jammanakatti village, 25km from Bagalkot, in North Karnataka.

Yenkappa, 28, could have abandoned the tractor, laden with burning hay, but instead, he accelerated and with the heat singeing his back, plunged into the lake and jumped to safety.

The incident occurred around 4pm Monday, and won Yenkappa appreciation from all quarters for his quick thinking and selfless act. “I could have escaped to safety, but the tractor would have destroyed several homes and shattered families. I just had to act, and I did,” Yenkappa told TOI over phone.

Yenkappa was driving the tractor home through a narrow road flanked by houses, when a bale of hay came into contact with an overhead electric wire. The hay was stacked 30ft high on the tractor. Sparks flew and within seconds, the hay caught fire and began to spread. While some residents screamed and rushed to bring vessels filled with water to extinguish the fire, Yenkappa knew he was running out of time.

“I was aware that I was not in a position to avert a mishap by pouring water on the burning hay. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I could feel the heat, but I had to act before the fire spread to the nearby houses,” Yenkappa said.

He changed gear, pushed the gas pedal hard and drove towards a lake, 500 metres from the clump of houses. By then, a few locals had pulled out their mobile phones and started recording the incident. Several villagers, including kids, were filmed running behind the burning tractor and pleading with Yenkappa to drive faster.

Undeterred by the heat, Yenkappa drove the tractor into the lake before jumping out. The water gushed in, extinguishing the fire with a loud hiss. The vehicle was pulled out of the water using an earthmover summoned from a neighbouring village.

Sanjeeva, a resident of Jammanakatti village, said: "The incident happened in less than 20 minutes. One mistake would have landed the whole village into trouble, we would have lost houses and livestock. What Yenkappa did was extraordinary.” There are around 450 houses in the village.

Yenkappa said he had incurred a loss of Rs 30,000, following the incident. “We have requested the tahsildar to help us, and will request our MLA, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, for financial help," he said.


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