Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope.
“I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.”
The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village. All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there.
Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work, something for his daughter. Now, even that felt lost in the ashes.
The massive fire on Saturday night changed everything for him. In just minutes, he lost all he had - food grains, clothes, utensils, savings and everything.
And Nikesh is not alone. His story is just one of more than 50 families in Dhamangaon who saw their lives reduced to ashes in the devastating blaze that swept through the village on Saturday evening.
Villagers say the fire began around 6 pm, when dry agricultural waste was set on fire in nearby fields - a common practice after harvest. But strong winds that evening made things worse. What might have remained a small, controlled burn quickly spiralled out of control.
Within minutes, flames began moving toward the village. Dhamangaon, a village of around 150 households, with its many houses built from wood, mud and tin sheets, stood little chance. Of which, 24 homes completely destroyed while around 40 households partially damaged in the fire.
“It felt like the fire was chasing us,” one villager said. “It entered the village so quickly and spread from house to house.”
The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village. All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there.
Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work, something for his daughter. Now, even that felt lost in the ashes.
The massive fire on Saturday night changed everything for him. In just minutes, he lost all he had - food grains, clothes, utensils, savings and everything.
And Nikesh is not alone. His story is just one of more than 50 families in Dhamangaon who saw their lives reduced to ashes in the devastating blaze that swept through the village on Saturday evening.
Villagers say the fire began around 6 pm, when dry agricultural waste was set on fire in nearby fields - a common practice after harvest. But strong winds that evening made things worse. What might have remained a small, controlled burn quickly spiralled out of control.
Within minutes, flames began moving toward the village. Dhamangaon, a village of around 150 households, with its many houses built from wood, mud and tin sheets, stood little chance. Of which, 24 homes completely destroyed while around 40 households partially damaged in the fire.
“It felt like the fire was chasing us,” one villager said. “It entered the village so quickly and spread from house to house.”
As the flames moved forward, they swallowed everything including homes, cattle sheds, stored crops and even vehicles.
“I lost Rs 3.57 lakh in cash,” he said while struggling to hold back emotion. “I had just come back from Hyderabad after selling 60 goats.”
Atul works as a middleman as he collect goats from local farmers and sell them in markets outside the state. The money he brought back wasn’t all his as it belonged to 16 different farmers.
“I gave Rs 5,000 to my son for household expenses and kept the rest in a bag,” he recalled. “When the fire started, I was in the bathroom. I ran out and saved my family first.”
But within five minutes, the flames reached his home. He managed to get his family out and even saved a few baby goats. But he couldn’t save his motorcycle, grains, chickens or two goats that were later found dead.
“How will I repay those farmers?” he asked. “That money was their trust in me.”
Seventy-five-year-old Kamlabai Hariji Ramteke was among the first to be caught in danger. Living alone on the outskirts, she couldn’t move quickly when the fire reached her home.
“She wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t reached her in time,” a villager said.
In a desperate effort, villagers used a bedsheet to make a makeshift stretcher - a “Jholi” and carried her away from the flames.
“She was crying and calling for help,” another villager said. “We didn’t think twice. We just lifted her and ran.”
The fire didn’t spare animals either - an especially painful loss for villagers who depend on them. Raju Namdeo Raut described the scene. “Many goats and cattle got trapped and died,” he said. “But some bullocks managed to break open their shed doors and run.”
He pointed to a half-burnt cow lying nearby. “It couldn’t even move when the fire came,” he added. For many families, losing livestock means losing their livelihood along with their homes.
“I was sitting at the door, trying to protect my Chana from the wind,” she said. “But instead, the wind brought fire.”
The flames quickly caught the stored Chana and spread to other produce kept inside the house.
Farmers in the village had stored crops like chana, cotton, and tur after harvest. With everything gone, many now have no income to rely on in the coming months.
As darkness fell, the situation became even more terrifying. Power supply was cut which left the entire village in darkness. “There was fire everywhere and no light,” a villager said. “People were screaming, children were crying, everyone was just running.”
Some described it as if “fireballs were falling from the sky,” as burning pieces were carried by the wind from one house to another.
Villagers tried to fight the flames using buckets of water, but it was simply not enough. The first fire tender, from Bhisi Municipal Council, reached the village around 8.30 pm - over two hours after the fire began. “It did help, but by then most houses were already gone,” Raut said.
More fire tenders arrived later, but strong winds and the intensity of the fire made their job extremely difficult.
Even after nearly 12 hours of firefighting, small flames were still visible in parts of the village on Sunday morning, especially in fodder and debris. By morning, Dhamangaon looked unrecognisable.
Homes stood burnt and broken, like empty shells. Tin sheets were twisted, roofs had collapsed and ash covered everything. In many houses, only parts of walls remained. Inside, there was nothing left - no utensils, no clothes, no food - just blackened ruins.
Children sat quietly next to their parents, too stunned to speak. Women sifted through the debris, hoping to find something, anything that survived.
Losses that hurt beyond words
Among those hit hardest was Atul Rahul Ramteke, who is now facing a loss that could take years to recover from.“I lost Rs 3.57 lakh in cash,” he said while struggling to hold back emotion. “I had just come back from Hyderabad after selling 60 goats.”
Atul works as a middleman as he collect goats from local farmers and sell them in markets outside the state. The money he brought back wasn’t all his as it belonged to 16 different farmers.
“I gave Rs 5,000 to my son for household expenses and kept the rest in a bag,” he recalled. “When the fire started, I was in the bathroom. I ran out and saved my family first.”
But within five minutes, the flames reached his home. He managed to get his family out and even saved a few baby goats. But he couldn’t save his motorcycle, grains, chickens or two goats that were later found dead.
“How will I repay those farmers?” he asked. “That money was their trust in me.”
Rescues in the midst of chaos
Seventy-five-year-old Kamlabai Hariji Ramteke was among the first to be caught in danger. Living alone on the outskirts, she couldn’t move quickly when the fire reached her home.
“She wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t reached her in time,” a villager said.
In a desperate effort, villagers used a bedsheet to make a makeshift stretcher - a “Jholi” and carried her away from the flames.
“She was crying and calling for help,” another villager said. “We didn’t think twice. We just lifted her and ran.”
The fire didn’t spare animals either - an especially painful loss for villagers who depend on them. Raju Namdeo Raut described the scene. “Many goats and cattle got trapped and died,” he said. “But some bullocks managed to break open their shed doors and run.”
He pointed to a half-burnt cow lying nearby. “It couldn’t even move when the fire came,” he added. For many families, losing livestock means losing their livelihood along with their homes.
Crops destroyed in seconds
Rajni Purushottam Kokate (50) watched months of effort disappear in moments.“I was sitting at the door, trying to protect my Chana from the wind,” she said. “But instead, the wind brought fire.”
The flames quickly caught the stored Chana and spread to other produce kept inside the house.
Farmers in the village had stored crops like chana, cotton, and tur after harvest. With everything gone, many now have no income to rely on in the coming months.
As darkness fell, the situation became even more terrifying. Power supply was cut which left the entire village in darkness. “There was fire everywhere and no light,” a villager said. “People were screaming, children were crying, everyone was just running.”
Some described it as if “fireballs were falling from the sky,” as burning pieces were carried by the wind from one house to another.
Villagers tried to fight the flames using buckets of water, but it was simply not enough. The first fire tender, from Bhisi Municipal Council, reached the village around 8.30 pm - over two hours after the fire began. “It did help, but by then most houses were already gone,” Raut said.
More fire tenders arrived later, but strong winds and the intensity of the fire made their job extremely difficult.
Even after nearly 12 hours of firefighting, small flames were still visible in parts of the village on Sunday morning, especially in fodder and debris. By morning, Dhamangaon looked unrecognisable.
Homes stood burnt and broken, like empty shells. Tin sheets were twisted, roofs had collapsed and ash covered everything. In many houses, only parts of walls remained. Inside, there was nothing left - no utensils, no clothes, no food - just blackened ruins.
Children sat quietly next to their parents, too stunned to speak. Women sifted through the debris, hoping to find something, anything that survived.
Officials visit, but questions remain
Revenue officials began assessing the damage and carried out panchanama. Local leaders and politicians also visited and offered assurances of help.
But for villagers, the pain is immediate.
“What will we do with compensation later?” one man asked. “We don’t even have food for today.”
Many families are now left without shelter, food, or even basic necessities.
Thankfully, no lives were lost. But the emotional and financial damage is deep. For Nikesh, the loss goes beyond things.
Still sitting near the ruins of his home, he paused from searching the burnt box and looked up. “If I find those earrings,” he said, “at least I can tell my daughter that something is still left.”In a village where almost everything has turned to ash, it is these small hopes that people are clinging to. Dhamangaon now faces a long recovery. Homes need to be rebuilt, livelihoods restored, and lives put back together.Villagers are asking for immediate relief and proper compensation.
But for villagers, the pain is immediate.
“What will we do with compensation later?” one man asked. “We don’t even have food for today.”
Many families are now left without shelter, food, or even basic necessities.
Thankfully, no lives were lost. But the emotional and financial damage is deep. For Nikesh, the loss goes beyond things.
Still sitting near the ruins of his home, he paused from searching the burnt box and looked up. “If I find those earrings,” he said, “at least I can tell my daughter that something is still left.”In a village where almost everything has turned to ash, it is these small hopes that people are clinging to. Dhamangaon now faces a long recovery. Homes need to be rebuilt, livelihoods restored, and lives put back together.Villagers are asking for immediate relief and proper compensation.
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