Fire destroys 3.5ha pvt forest at Keri

Keri: A fire broke out on a hill in

Keri

, Sattari, burning down a large tract of

private

forest causing irreparable loss to the wildlife habitat. The

forest

situated on the hill ‘Khaddo Dongar’ has been identified and demarcated as private and is home to wild animals like gaurs and deers, among others.

Round forester of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary Abhijit Verekar said that he along with wildlife trackers rushed to the spot on receiving the information. Since it was almost midnight, it was difficult to reach the spot quickly through the dense cover, sources said.

When the officials reached the spot near the Vagheri hill, they saw the fire spreading on Khaddo Dongar.

“Our staff visited the area and took necessary step to extinguish the fire. The fire

burnt

an area of around 3.5ha,” range forest officer stationed at Keri, Vivek Gaonkar said.

The area being at the top of a hill, it not only takes time to reach the spot, but no machinery can be moved to the area due to the difficult terrain.

This hill has a large patch of open area that is covered with seasonal grasses and wild vegetation, where several wild animals are spotted, as this area forms part of a contiguous forest area.

Assistant conservator of forest, Anand Jadhav said that forest officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

Two year ago, some unknown persons had similarly set fire to the private forest areas of Khaddo Dongar.