Multiple blazes reported in city, firemen battle intense heat

Nagpur: With rise in day temperature, a spate of fire incidents was reported across Nagpur on Wednesday keeping fire brigade teams on high alert, with officials suspecting extreme heat and dry conditions as possible contributing factors. While no casualties were reported, property damage in several cases ran into crores.The most severe incident occurred in Mouda taluka, where over 3,000 tonnes of paddy straw were destroyed in a massive blaze at a biomass storage facility along the Ramtek-Khat road. Preliminary reports suggest sparks from a nearby agricultural field set on fire, carried by strong winds, may have ignited the stockpile. Fire tenders from Mouda and Ramtek battled the flames for hours before bringing the fire under control. Losses are estimated to exceed ₹1 crore.Within city limits, a mini truck loaded with DJ equipment caught fire around 10am at Kadbi Square. The vehicle was parked on an empty plot when the blaze broke out. Fire personnel from Sugat Nagar doused the fire, but not before sound systems, LED panels, laptops and wiring connectors were destroyed. Kapil Nagar police have registered a case.In another incident, a tempo parked near a Buddha Vihar in Manav Nagar, Teka Naka, caught fire, damaging electronic items inside. A transformer fire at Chapru Nagar Square, suspected to be caused by a short circuit, led to a temporary disruption of the power supply in the area.Later in the day, a fire broke out at a cafe in Samman Nagar, under Sakkardara, due to a suspected short circuit. Resident Kishor Raut alerted authorities. Firefighters led by officer Shivaji Shirke managed to douse the flames.According to the cafe owner, two deep freezers, three refrigerators, 24 tables, furniture and an oven were destroyed in the blaze, resulting in losses estimated in lakhs.