Around 15 to 20 acres of forest land was destroyed in a fire in Hattikuni forest area, in Yadgir district, late on Sunday night. Forest officials, who rushed the spot, extinguished the fire with the help of local people.
The fire was noticed by the locals and the forest guards around 8 p.m. on Sunday. It took four hours for the staff to douse the fire, A.B. Patil, Assistant Conservative Forest Officer told The Hindu on Monday. As the incident occurred in a place which is around 1.5 to 2 km from the main road, fire and emergency service personnel found it hard to reach the spot. Hence, the forest officials had to tackle the fire themselves.
“The operation was completed after midnight. We thank the locals for helping in the operation,” he said.
Stating that it was a ground fire, which caused no damage to trees and animals, Mr. Patil said a case would be register under the Forest Act and a detailed inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the reason the behind fire.
