Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major fire broke out in the periphery of Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary on Thursday noon. No damage to wildlife was reported in the incident but fire affected around 40 hectare area.
The blaze was put out before it could reach the core area of the Sanctuary, said officials. It took around five hours to control the blaze.
District Forest Officer of Mandsaur, Sanjay told Free Press that the patrolling team was burning the small dry grass in Buj compartment – 451,452,459 – from 6 am. After burning the dry grassland area, the team had shifted to the other part.
It seems that the dry wood might be smoldering and due to strong winds the fire might have spread to the adjoining area and then within no time spread to the larger swaths of the sanctuary, said the official. Forest teams, two fire brigades and two water tankers were pressed into service to control the fire which was put out by 4 pm.
Villagers and forest squads of Rampura, Garoth and Bhanpura helped in dousing the fire. On getting news of the fire incident, senior forest officers rushed to the spot. The fire also reached the extended area of the enclosures being developed for cheetahs. Notably Gandhi Sagar sanctuary is being developed as the next destination of Cheetahs after Kuno National Park. The next batch of Cheetahs is likely to be translocated later this year.
