BATHINDA: In a shocking incident at least three persons were burnt alive and 10 others received burn injuries due to fires that engulfed agricultural fields in 50 villages of the Malwa belt of Punjab Thursday.

The worst damage was in Muktsar where three persons lost their lives and four children received burns.

The fire spread from the fields where the farmers had burnt straw of wheat crop. However, the fire intensified in these areas hit by a dust storm during the day.

In the Bathinda district where fire raged over area of 800 acres, the worst damage was in the villages of Gairi-Butter, Jaisingh, Bangi Ragu and Deepa Bangi.

The farmers cried they had suffered huge loss due to the fire, as their crop had remained unharvested because of shortage of combine harvesters.

Deputy commissioner Rahul Tiwari, who rushed to the spot along with SSP Naunihal Singh, said patwaris had been asked to assess the damage within three days.

He said loss was not that high, as most of the farmers had harvested the crop and only the left -over straw got burnt as the fire due to strong wind in the area during the day. It is suspected some farmers might have set the residue on fire.

Reports said about 20 acres of agriculture area was involved in fire in Sangat Kalan village near here. Fire accompanied by wind turned straw and stored wheat into ash on nearly 5,00 to 1,000 acres causing burns to three in Dabwali near here Thursday.

Meanwhile, farm labourers Geeto Devi and her husband Veer Singh received 100 per cent and 50 per cent burns respectively. Doctors directed both of them to be shifted to PGI, Rohtak. While Nar Singh got 10 per cent burns when he rushed to save his children from fire.