Man & Machine Deployed To Check Raging Forest Fire In Odisha; 5 Arrested

Baripada: The forest and fire services officials are on their toes to control the forest fire in Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district.

With as many as 36 large fires reported at four places under Gurugudia and Talabandha ranges in Similipal on Monday, the containment measures have been intensified. On Monday, active fire points were mostly detected in Ganjam, Koraput, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj districts.

To check the fire from spreading to new areas and prevent a situation like last year when 500 active fire points being detected across the state, the 700 forest officials have been engaged in deep forest. Besides manpower, equipment like 500 fire extinguishers and mechanical fire blowers have been kept ready, forest officials said.

On the other hand, 604 community awareness meetings and 124 mock drills have been conducted to way to check the fire from assuming large proportions. Five persons have been arrested for setting leaves on fire in Naana range of Similipal. They had set a forest patch on fire to hunt wild animals, Similipal ACF Pradip Kumar Dey told Times of India.

The fire detected so far was due to burning of dry leaves to collect mahua flowers, said forest officials and added that 200 fire watchers and 700
protection assistants have been engaged to check the spread of fire.

Sisir Ratho, principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force said they are allowing controlled burning of fire and helping people to collect mahua flowers as it is their means of livelihood.