Around 40 residential houses were set ablaze when members of two rival groups allegedly hurled bombs at each other and set afire the thatched houses in Ambagoan village under Jarada police station in Ganjam district today, the police said.
No one was was injured in the arson at the village located in the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.
Fire tenders went to the spot and controlled the blaze. Quantum of loss due to the fire was yet to be ascertained, the police said.
The incident occurred when one group set ablaze the houses belonging to their rival groups by pouring kerosene, some others were gutted due to explosion of crude bombs hurled to the houses.
"The situation is under control now. Forces were deployed in the area," SDPO of Chikiti, BK Nayak, said.
Almost all male persons of the village fled fearing arrest and only women and children remained, he said.
"Though the enmity between the two groups in the village old, the sudden provocation for the fresh incident is under investigation," Nayak said.
The two groups had clashed with bombs around a fortnight ago.
