VISAKHAPATNAM: Repeated fire mishaps reported from the forest areas in Visakhapatnam district have kept the fire officials on tenterhooks. In the last one month, three forest fires have been reported—two in Simhachalam Hills and one at Madhavadhara. On Sunday, a major fire broke out in the Simhachalam Hills and the officials took around six hours to douse the flames. On Monday again, a minor fire broke out in the hills yet again. According to officials, an estimated 150 acres of forest areas in the Simhachalam have been gutted in the last two days.
Dubbing the fire as the biggest in the recent time, the fire officials rule out the natural causes and blame human negligence for the fire. After the fire broke out in the Simhachalam forests on Sunday, two fire tenders from Marripalem and one more from another area were engaged to douse the flames before two more tenders from the NTPC and the Indian Navy joined them. Though the firemen brought the flames under control after struggling for almost six hours, the traces of flame continued in the night.
A few fire tenders fought all through the night to check its spread. On Monday morning, six fire tenders from the district fire department and another from the NTPC were deployed to douse the traces of fire atop the hill and two fire tenders were kept as back-up on Monday night.“This is one of the biggest fires on Simhachalam hill I have heard of. Forest cover in 150 acres is feared to have been destroyed. But, it’s yet to be ascertained,” additional fire officer (AFO), Visakhapatnam district, Surendra Anand told Express.
Asked about the cause, he said it does appear that some natural causes triggered the fire.