Baripada/Saraskana: Despite summer yet to set in properly, the reserve forests under Baripada division in Mayurbhanj district have been hit hard by fires, sources said Tuesday. The Ghiajodi reserve forest under Bangiriposhi range caught fire Tuesday and due to the dry weather large areas have been engulfed by the flames. On being informed, Forest department officials and personnel from the Fire department rushed to the spot and are trying to control the flames. Officials said that with the dry leaves catching fire, the blaze is spreading at a quick pace in the forest which is close to the Jharpokharia toll plaza on National Highway-49 in the district.
Locals spotted big trees burning and informed fire personnel. Staff of the Forest department and fire personnel is trying to douse the fire with help of locals. When contacted, Bangiriposhi forest ranger Maheswar Singh said that an area of approximately one hectare has caught fire. He however, assured that the fire will be brought under control very soon. In a similar development, green cover on large tracts of land has been destroyed after the Tungadhua Sagabadia reserve forest under Betonati range caught fire.
Notably, the Similipal biosphere reserve in Mayurbhanj district was ravaged by devastating forest fires in February-March, 2021. The fire had engulfed over one-third area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). The fire lasted for around 10 days and seriously affected the biodiversity of the area. It was the second major fire incident in STR after 2015, when massive destruction of flora and the fauna was reported.