Visakhapatnam: A massive forest fire started raging on at the Gudilova hills on Thursday evening which is proving tough for the fire fighters to bring under control.
Minister for human resource development Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that four Indian Navy helicopters will be used in the fire dousing operations on Friday. The hill range is spread over a radius of about 40 km and has many residential habitations nearby, including Pineapple Colony, Bakannapalem, Mindivanipalem, Mami-dilova, Dibbame-dapalem, Dabbanda and Kommadi. The entire area is covered with drying tree debris after the cyclone Hudhud wrecked havoc. An official who was at the scene on Thursday night said, “As oil lamps are lit by people on the occasion of Karthika Poornima, someone must have acted carelessly and the debris might have caught fire.”
The raging fire also entered the nearby Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
The official said, “Fire has entered Kambalakonda and efforts are on by the fire department as eight fire engines have already been pressed into service. Due to darkness, they are unable to reach and douse the fire efficiently. They are now planning to create a gap between the fire and remaining area by creating a boundary of non-inflammable material surrounding the fire. As the wind is not gusty, the fire is spreading very slowly.”
