Cashew factory, hay stack destroyed in fire, ₹3 crore loss incurred

TWO separate fire incidents in Khanapur on Tuesday caused significant damage, with losses estimated to over Rs 3 crore.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Belagavi

In the first incident, a fire broke out at a cashew processing factory near Rumewadi Naka in the early hours of Tuesday, because of which destroyed 30 tons of cashew nuts, machinery, and the building was also severely damaged.

The factory, owned by Suresh Shivangekar, specialises in processing raw cashews into finished nuts. A short circuit is believed to have occurred around 2.30 am, which was caused by a spark in the heater that is used for controlling the temperature.

Suresh Shivangekar and his brother Netaji, who live nearby, noticed the fire and promptly alerted the fire brigade, alerted the neighbours and attempted to contain the flames.

Fire fighters, led by officer Manohar Rathod, managed to control the fire after extensive efforts.

Despite this, they incurred loss of about Rs 3 crore.