The news over the weekend that Punjab had crossed the 90-lakh tonne figure in wheat procurement was eclipsed by reports of at least five persons, including three women and one child, being killed and dozens, including six school children, admitted to various hospitals with serious burns as multiple fires destroyed thousands of acres of wheat fields in the State's south-western districts as well the adjoining areas of Haryana. Reports from the region said that besides human tragedies and damage to standing crops, a large number of cattle, grain stores, fodder and farm equipment had been lost in the fires. The fires had been brought under control, while this report was being filed. The simultaneous outbreaks of infernos resulted in a shortage of fire tenders and led to some tense moments as the fires threatened to engulf villages and other human settlements. According to initial reports, the tragedy was caused by farmers themselves who in an attempt to clear the fields for the next farm operations set the wheat stubs afire. A sudden sandstorm carried the cinders over distances devastating standing crops in about 15,000 acres in nearly 60 villages in the southern areas of Muktsar and Bathinda districts as well as the Dabwali area in Sirsa district of neighbouring Haryana. Bimla Devi and her 12-year-old daughter, Mamta of Middu Khera village in Muktsar district succumbed to the burns within hours of being admitted to a government hospital on Thursday. Similarly Buddi Rani of Tharajwala village in the same district and a poor couple in the nearby Giddar Khera village of Haryana were burnt alive when they were caught in a blaze that engulfed the fields where they gone to look for scattered grains. Students rescued In Muktsar, which suffered the worst impact of the multiple fires, six children sustained serious burns when the driver of their school bus abandoned the vehicle after it got trapped between twin infernos on either side of the narrow village road. Local villagers succeeded in saving the lives of the children. While an official announcement was still awaited, the Punjab and Haryana governments have directed the authorities in the affected districts to complete the assessment of loss within three days. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who visited the affected villages cited the model code of conduct now in force in view of the forthcoming elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions and did not make any announcement. However, he said that the State Government would work out a proper formula to adequately compensate for the losses. Leader of the Opposition and president of the Punjab unit of the Congress, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, also toured the region and met the affected families. Talking to reporters, she assured complete support to the Government if it proposed to introduce a special legislation to deal with such tragedies. Former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar sought a special survey and appealed to the Govt to announce relief at the earliest as many farmers had lost entire fields of standing crop, where harvesting was to begin any time now.