Kollam: A 55-year-old man died on Saturday in a fire accident at Kalluvettankuzhi here. The deceased, Dayaanidhi, was a native of Kavanad in Kollam.

The incident occurred when Dayaanidhi was burning a heap of dry leaves on his one-acre rubber plantation compound. As the midday heat intensified and strong winds picked up, the fire flared up and went out of control.

According to an officer at the Kollam Fire and Rescue Services, Dayanidhi himself alerted the fire station about the incident. “He informed us about the fire. Based on the details he provided, we identified the location. However, his voice was interrupted, and the call was disconnected. When we tried calling back, the phone was engaged and later switched off. By the time we reached the spot, he had died,” the officer told Onmanorama.

Local residents rushed to the spot and managed to bring the fire under control, but later found Dayaanidhi with severe burn injuries. Fire personnel found a can of water near the site, indicating that Dayaanidhi had attempted to douse the flames before getting trapped in the fire.

The officer added that Dayanidhi had suffered a cardiac arrest earlier and had undergone bypass surgery. After the post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to his family.