The incident is said to have occurred earlier this week when Yankappa was strolling around his village when he noticed a burning tractor loaded with haystack parked on a narrow lane with houses on both sides. There was no way that the houses lining the lane would have been spared by the raging fire. While the other residents chose to run to safety, Yankappa jumped into the tractor, throwing caution to the wind, and steered it into the nearby lake to douse the flames, online portal The News Minute reported.
The local media quoted local residents as saying that the 28-year-old’s heroic feat saved around 100 houses in the village. The incident is reported to have happened early this week. The video of the incident captured by a village has gone viral on social media.
"I could have escaped to safety, but the tractor would have destroyed several homes and shattered families. I just had to act, and I did," Yankappa told the news portal.