Massive fire engulfs grasslands in Kullu

Kullu, January 13

A massive fire broke out in the grasslands of the Bijli Mahadev Hill, which faces Kullu town, on Tuesday night. Villagers usually put grasslands on fire in the winter season to burn the dry grass. However, this time, the fire spread over a large area and pictures of the blazing inferno went viral on social media.

Angel Chauhan, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kullu, said such forest fires were mostly man-made. He said the fire was contained before it reached the tree cover in the forest. He added officials of the Forest Department, fire brigade and local villagers were able to douse the flames after a lot of efforts, which continued till the wee hours today. Many residents raised their concerns about the forest fire incident. Abhishek Rai, an environmentalist, said such a practice by villagers damaged the natural habitat of flora and fauna of the forest area. — OC