BENGALURU: A fire broke out on the edge of the Turahalli forest near an apartment complex, and spread inside the forest around 1 am on Sunday. Shocked residents immediately informed the Fire and Emergency Services.
The security guards at Shobha Forest View apartment, who also keep a watch over the Turahalli forest, noticed the fire near the apartment complex, towards the minor forest side in Hosahalli. They immediately called the fire station nearby.
“It was around 1 am when the security official told us that a grassy patch of land had caught fire and it was spreading inside the forest. We informed the fire station and together we doused the fire in about an hour,” said Sudarshan Acharya, management committee member of the apartment.
The residents suspect it to be the handiwork of some miscreants. “There are many liquor shops around the area and people come here every day after the shops close. It could be them, but we are not sure,” said a resident.
Land mafia, political goons, realtors have encroached on patches: Forester
A Forest official pointed out that the flames had engulfed a 10 sqft patch of the forest patch, but it was quickly brought under control. "This is the first fire incident in this forest area near Kanakapura road. Turahalli reserve forest is a crucial forest patch as it is located near Bengaluru city. The land mafia, political goons and realtors have encroached upon patches. Even as the department had identified the locations and is battling the cases in courts, many set patches of forest on fire only to make the situation worse. That is not all, many times people dump garbage in the forest or enter for illegal activities," he added.
Sudarshan said, "This is the first fire this year. We see such incidents till June on a regular basis due to the dry grass. We and the Forest officials, along with other volunteers, are more alert now and hope no such incidents occur."
Range Forest Officer Gopal said, "We are now creating fire lines. Last year, 22 km of fire lines were created and so far this year, 5 km has been completed. We have decided to add another 16 km to ensure that acts of miscreants are under control. Interaction with locals is being strengthened and we are roping in volunteers from local communities to help us this dry season."