The fire has so far damaged two paddy fields and a CRPF camp. Around 150-200 people, including the forest staff, are engaged in controlling the fire. Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have also been called in to douse the blaze. Reports say that the fire which erupted on Monday evening has now spread over 10 sq km.
The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained. Tiger movement in the area has been affected due to the fire and the villagers residing in the periphery of the fire-affected area have been asked to move to safety. Meanwhile, the IAF said that at the behest of Alwar Dist. admin to help control spread of fire over large areas of Sariska Tiger Reserve, IAF has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters to undertake Bambi Bucket operations.
“We are focusing on areas where there could be a danger to wildlife from fire and in areas where it has spread,” news agency ANI quoted Alwar’s ADM Sunita Pankaj says. “We were informed about the fire 2 days ago. We took the help of locals to control the fire. 9 sq. km of area is up in the flames as of now.
We are trying to restrict the fire so that it does not engulf the valley. Damage will be ascertained once fire is doused,” quotes Alwar DFO Sudarshan Sharma.