In a tragic incident on September 23, 2025, a young woman died in an accidental gas cylinder explosion in Murkikodla village of Sirsi taluk. The deceased has been identified as 21-year-old Ranjana Nagappa Devadiga, a final-year BA student at the Government Pre-University College in Sirsi.
The explosion occurred around 3 p.m. in her house, located in a remote, hilly area with poor network connectivity and where neighboring houses are sparsely located. A neighbor named Sharath heard the loud explosion and rushed to the house to try and break down the door.
The sound of the blast was also heard by some people working in a plantation about 3 kilometers away in Manbagi. They immediately contacted Shaurya Disaster Management Unit volunteer Santosh Devadiga, who informed other unit members and villagers. Everyone then rushed to the site of the explosion.
Upon arriving at the scene, local residents and volunteers from the Shaurya Sri Dharmasthala Disaster Management team immediately informed the fire department and an ambulance. Firefighters arrived shortly thereafter and began operations to extinguish the fire and retrieve belongings from the house.
The Shaurya team volunteers joined the operation, assisting the firefighters and locals. The Sirsi rural police visited the scene and registered a case.
Those who participated in the rescue operation included Saraswati, the coordinator of the Hulekal unit; Mamata, the unit representative; and volunteers Narasimha, Santosh, Gopala, Prajwala, Manjunatha, Nagaraja, Harish, and Santosh.
