Sariska Reserve fire: Blaze spreads to Tahla Range, threatens tigers

A major blaze has again been reported at the Sariska forest in Rajasthan on Sunday evening, officials said.

Alwar (Rajasthan): The massive blaze in the Sariska reserve forest, which first started on March 27, has started to spread to the Tahla Range of the forest between Bhasaonta and Jahaj, the territory of tigers (ST-8 and ST-15). As per the aerial survey, the raging inferno in the Sariska reserve forest has covered a distance of six kilometres.

A major blaze has again been reported at the Sariska forest in Rajasthan on Sunday evening, officials said. Last Friday, a fire broke out in the Tahla Range of the forest at the Nandu beat but by the night the flames were doused. The fire engulfed the Kishori area of the forest on Saturday but the blaze was controlled by the night and the flames didn't cause much damage.

Now, a raging inferno has spread to the Tahla Range of the forest between Bhasaonta and Jahaj and the leaping flames have covered an area in a radius of three kilometers of the forest. The forest fire has enveloped the three hilly regions in the jungles. Local people, nature guides, forest personnel, drivers, and fire tenders have been pressed into service to contain the flames, but due to the hilly area, the fire engines are facing hurdles to access it. Besides, rising temperatures and winds are causing hindrance in controlling the flames.

Officers of the Sariska reserve forest said they have controlled 80 per cent of the forest fire so far and efforts are on to douse the flames in the remaining areas of the forest. The operation has been going on round the clock. Local people are aiding forest employees and others to douse the flames. The Sariska forest administration is yet to find out the cause of the fire in the jungle. Officials have hinted at conducting an investigation in this regard, sources said.

"At least five hunters had been seen at the Baleta Range of the forest. They had killed a wild boar and also lit a fire at the spot and later left the place without dousing the flames. This could be one of the reasons for the spread of the fire in Sariska reserve forest," sources said. However, officials from the forest department and Sariska forest administration are tightlipped on the issue. Last week, for the first time, an IAF chopper was pressed into service and it took five days to control the blaze at Narandi jungles in the Akbarpur Range of the forest.