A massive fire broke out in a vehicle overloaded with wheat straw on Gobindgarh road in Abohar last evening has again raised concerns on the illegal practice that the concerned authorities had not bothered to check.According to reports, the driver, Devi Lal — a resident of village Waryamkhera — was transporting bales of straw from Gobindgarh in his tractor-trailer. As he was entering the link road connecting Abohar, the trailer struck overhead high-voltage power lines, instantly igniting the load. In a matter of moments, the trailer was engulfed in flames.Upon spotting the fire in the straw, villagers alerted the driver, Devi Lal, who stopped the vehicle and alighted from it. The blaze intensified rapidly. Residents immediately informed the Fire Department, prompting the dispatch of two fire tenders from Abohar, which then began efforts to extinguish the fire.Villagers also attempted to help douse the flames using water tankers that had been provided last year to the community by the Shiromani Akali Dal. It is reported that the straw was intended to be transported to Rajasthan, but it was gutted in the fire shortly after being loaded. Nar Sewa Narayan Sewa Samiti has urged the administration to impose a ban on the practice of overloading trailers in this manner.