Sirsi: Three houses in Tallimane village of Sirsi taluk were gutted early on Wednesday, and goods worth `40 lakh turned to ashes in the accidental fire. According to Sirsi police, around 4 am, three houses caught fire one after the other following a short circuit in one of them. Including 20 quintal of areca nut, a total `40 lakh loss occurred in the accident. The houses belong to Gajanan M Hegde, Ganapati M Hegde and Satyanarayan S Hegde. No casualties or injuries were reported in the mishap. Locals helped firefighters douse the fire.