Ludhiana, April 20 -- Ripened wheat crop on nearly 18 acres was reduced to ashes due to fire that was reportedly sparked by a short circuit in overhead electricity wires in Chaunta village on Saturday. The incident has caused significant losses to several farmers in the area.

Farmer Gurdeep Singh, who was among the first to notice the fire, said the blaze broke out suddenly and spread rapidly through the standing wheat fields. Despite efforts by local farmers to douse the flames, the fire consumed acres of crop before it could be brought under control. "By the time we managed to control it, 18 acres of crop had already turned ash," he said.

The affected farmers include former village sarpanch Jaswant Singh, Ramesh Lal Satyana, Davinder ...