Nearly 60 acres of forest were affected by a major fire, ostensibly triggered by some unidentified miscreants, at Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger (BRT) Reserve, in Chamarajanagar district on Saturday.
The fire was first noticed around 9.30 a.m. near P.G. Palya in the Bylur range of BRT Tiger Reserve. The fire was set off in an incline at Doddasampige reserve forest where the terrain was steep and approach difficult. Besides, extreme heat and wind were fanning the flames which consumed about 60 acres of forest land, according to authorities who described the blaze as a ground fire.
More than 60 field staff and personnel led by Deputy Conservator of Forests, Deep Contractor, strived hard to douse the blaze which was brought under control by evening.
Authorities, who used drones to assess the extent of fire during the dousing operations, said the miscreants had lit the fire to the ridge line near a dam in the Bylur wildlife range. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and further action is being initiated.
This is the second time that a fire has been reported from BRT Tiger reserve during March this year, and both were the handiwork of miscreants.
A fire was reported from three places in the tiger reserve in the first week of March in the Punajanur range and an estimated 50 acres of forest was affected.
The searing heat this summer and the dry deciduous nature of the forests make the entire swathe of forests encompassing Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, BRT Tiger Reserve, Bandipur, and Nagarahole vulnerable to wildfires.
