Wild fires continue to threaten Telangana’s forests

After relentless efforts till midnight, they successfully brought the fire under control.

Hyderabad: Forest fires are continuing to raze many lands in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve this season. Last night, forest fires destroyed vast areas in Gundam, Tallachelka and Dara divisions in the reserve forest and forest personnel had to trek long distances to douse the flames and bring the situation under control.

The forest fires occurred at about 9.30 pm last night and the personnel battled it out till the early hours of Sunday to douse the flames. Though forest officials said the forest fires could be a man-made disaster, especially by cattle grazers, the reasons are yet to be ascertained. As per preliminary estimates, officials said about 20 acres of forest lands could have been damaged at each location.

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Considering the heat wave conditions this season, the occurrence of forest fires has increased a lot. This apart, field staff cannot reach the spot immediately due to inaccessible conditions. At Dara, the field staff had to trek a hillock and douse the flames and by the time the situation was brought under control it was 4 am, said a senior official.

About 25 field staff members were rushed to the spots to douse the flames and ensure it did not spread to other areas. It can be challenging for the field staff as well as they get exhausted battling the conditions. Given the increased fire occurrence this season, it can be physically very demanding for the staff, the official added.

Meanwhile, a massive fire broke out in the Forest area of Pasra and Tadwai forest area of Mulugu district on Sunday morning, destroying forest wealth worth several lakhs.

According to reports, large flames of fire were seen erupting out of the forest area. Due to the fire, smoke has spread in the area leading to poor visibility and forcing the vehicular traffic in the area to slow down.