20140320 India Major forest fire breaks out in Nallamala
India Mar 20 2014 “Forest”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 30 to 69 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Major forest fire breaks out in Nallamala
Updated: 2014-03-21-12:05
SRISAILAM: Even as the fire threat to Seshachalam biosphere abutting Tirumala hills in Chittoor district receded, a major fire broke out in the picturesque Nallamala forests in Srisailam in Kurnool district on Thursday.
Vast forest tracts between Patalaganga and Akkamahadevi caves across the river Krishna are on fire, threatening the local flora and fauna, many of which are unique and rare. With no fire-fighting measures in place, the flames are spreading fast to newer areas.
According to locals, this is the major fire in the Srisailam jungles in the recent years. Incidentally, Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar is a protected sanctuary for the highly endangered Indian tiger. The fire broke out around 8.30 pm and the exact cause of the mishap is not clear. Since the area is inaccessible and due to pitch darkness in the region, forest officials have decided to visit the area on Friday morning. Since the forest fire is on the other side of the river Krishna, forest officials have made boat arrangement to reach the fire zone.
Atmakur divisional forest officer Diwan Maiden said the forest team had held discussions and would take stock of the situation after visiting the area on Friday. “We will assess the exact damage and take up fire-fighting measures in the morning,” he said adding that the fire is not as big as that of Seshachalam biosphere that broke out on Tuesday.
It is suspected that the fire is man-made. Hundreds of people travel across the forest tracts particularly during nights to Karnataka every Ugadi. This year Ugadi falls on March 31. A number of pilgrims also visit the temple by foot during the Telugu New Year. Since many of them carry torches for lighting and as protection from wild animals, sparks from the torches may have triggered the forest fire.
The fire spot has been identified at 10 km from Sunnipenta village. Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar is a protected wildlife sanctuary and notified tiger reserve. “Bifurcating the sanctuary into two halves, the river Krishna saunters the Srisailam plateau like a creeping serpent and flows towards north to be known as ‘Uttaravahini’. The famous and ancient temples of Lord Mallikarjuna and Goddess Brahmaramba on this plateau are places of worship from times immemorial,” says a forest document.
Another unique feature of this forest is the presence of Chenchus, the most primitive tribe in the state. It is also the habitation of Lambada tribal community.
Websource：The times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Major-forest-fire-breaks-out-in-Nallamala/articleshow/32377807.cms