Ballia (UP), May 17 (PTI) A 55-year-old man was burnt to death while attempting to extinguish a fire that engulfed the protective netting around a pond in Baragaon village under the Maniyar police station area here, police said on Sunday.
Circle Officer (Bansdih) Jaishankar Mishra said that police received information on Saturday night that a body was lying in a field near the village water tank.
Upon reaching the spot, police identified the deceased as Muniram (55), a resident of Baragaon village.
During investigation, police found that a fire had been lit in Muniram's field using chemicals to burn grass. The flames spread to a nearby fish-rearing pond and set ablaze the protective netting installed around it.
Muniram rushed to the spot carrying water to douse the fire.
However, he allegedly stumbled and fell into the flames, suffering sever burn injuries that led to his death on the spot, police said.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, they said.