Around 100 acres of forest land came under surface fire in the Penukonda range in Anantapur district on Thursday. However, the officials said that not much damage done to the big trees.
District Forest Officer Sandeep Krupakar Gundala and Sub-Divisional Forest Officer P. Samuel inspected the site of fire on the hillock near the RTO checkpost near Penukonda town.
The fire broke out on Wednesday evening. Grass over a big stretch was burnt by Thursday morning. Around 20 personnel doused the flames. The 3-metre trenches on the hillock helped contain the fire. There was no damage to the canopy as it was not a crown fire, , said Mr. Samuel.
Some lorry drivers are suspected to have caused the fire. The actual damage would be known by Friday, he added.
The DFO has appealed to the people living close to the forest to keep a tab on such incidents and inform the department immediately. “Some shepherds too lit a fire in hope that the grass would grow rapidly when it rains. However, the land will not sustain growth of grass for years now,” Mr. Pradeep added.
