Villagers return from wedding to find eight houses reduced to ashes in Khandwa

Indore: Eight mud houses were gutted in a major fire that broke out at Mamadoh village in tribal-dominated Khalwa block in Khandwa district on Friday evening, leaving several families homeless.Most villagers had gone to attend a wedding procession when the fire erupted, delaying initial firefighting efforts and allowing the flames to spread rapidly through the closely built houses.The incident triggered panic and grief in the village. Families returning from the wedding found only heaps of ashes where their homes once stood. Household items, stored grains, clothes, cash and essential belongings were completely destroyed in the blaze, with victims left only with the clothes they were wearing. Women and children were seen crying as villagers gathered around the burnt structures late into the night.According to officials, the fire started around 4 pm in one of the kutcha houses and quickly engulfed seven neighbouring structures due to strong winds and the congested layout of the village.Residents present in the village alerted the panchayat, following which a fire brigade from Harsud reached the spot. However, by the time fire tenders and water tankers from nearby panchayats arrived, all eight houses were already gutted.Khandwa SP Agam Jain said the fire spread rapidly through the cluster of kutcha houses, leaving residents with little time to save their belongings.Khandwa collector Rishav Gupta said a total of eight families lost their houses in the fire. As immediate relief, each affected family was provided 50 kg of food grains, including 40 kg wheat, 10 kg rice and 1 kg salt. Arrangements for ration supplies, clothes and bedding have also been made for the victims. Meals for the affected families are being arranged by the gram panchayat. Separate cases under the RBC provisions are being prepared to provide financial assistance from the govt to each affected family.After receiving information about the incident, state minister and local MLA Vijay Shah reached the village directly from Bhopal and assured affected families of assistance. He announced that each affected family would receive Rs 1.20 lakh under the PM Awas Yojana for construction of new houses.The houses destroyed in the fire belonged to Devchand, Phoolchand, Bhagirath, Ramdas, Dashrath, Navlu, Chunnilal and Chutra.