Hyderabad: Reckless human action has taken a toll on a 10-acre area in the Seshachalam forests near Karakambadi village in Tirupati. A fire set by villagers near Tarakarama Colony on Friday to clear grass slowly spread into the forest which is located just a few metres away from the village and separated by a fence.
The incident had the forest department on its toes. The Seshachalam forest is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Ghats and hosts a wide range of endemic plant species.
However, as the forest department officials reached the spot on time the fire was brought under control.
Tirupati divisional forest officer G. Srinivasulu said, “The fire was a ground fire. Only grass and dried leaves on the ground were burnt. Twenty fire-fighting officials each from the Tirupati wildlife management and the TTD and 10 from the Chittoor east division were pressed into action to stop the fire. The fire was successfully put out by afternoon. However, the forest department’s fire fighting officials have been deployed to stay overnight at the spot to avoid any fire due to the winds.”
Last year a devastating fire in the Seshachalam forest caught the attention of the nation and Indian Air Force choppers had to be deployed to help put it out.
