Massive fire in Andhra village guts about 40 houses

14-Jan-2026

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A massive fire broke out at a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada district on Jan 12, gutting around 40 thatched houses belonging to tribal families and leaving dozens homeless. No casualties or injuries were reported, police said.

The blaze erupted in the early hours in Sarlanka village under the Prathipadu Assembly constituency and spread rapidly through the locality. While initial reports had pointed to a possible gas leak, police said a preliminary investigation suggests the fire was triggered by an electric short circuit in one of the houses.

“The fire accident must have occurred due to an electric shock short circuit at the house of a visually impaired person in Sarlanka village. About 40 thatched houses belonging to tribal families were completely burnt,” a senior police official told.