HYDERABAD: Wildfires destroyed 10 acres of tiger habitat in Amrabad tiger reserve early on Tuesday, causing huge damage to the environment and habitats of many creatures. Local villagers first noticed the forest going up in flames near Neelaram Banda region of the forest in Domalapenta range.
“Within few minutes, the fire spread up to 2 km inside the forest area. The entire ground along with some hundreds of shrubs and small trees turned into ashes in front of our eyes. We have seen forest fires in this region before, but this was the biggest so far,” said Edla Kishore, a witness. “We couldn’t see anything except for this massive fire tearing through the forest. The entire area has been cordoned off till morning,” he added.
The forest is the second largest tiger reserve after Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve in AP and is home to great biodiversity, consisting of 70 species of mammals, more than 300 avian varieties, 60 species of reptiles and thousands of insects.
Nagarkurnool district forest official, Kista Goud said, “It was a ground fire, and it burnt shrubs, grass and undergrowth, before it was controlled by the staff. The fire was man-made and no animal was caught in the fire. It is also the time before Shivratri festival when more pilgrims take the forest route to reach Srisailam, camping and cooking on their way. People taking this route should understand that even a spark originating at a distance can be carried by winds to cause a massive wildfire.”
“Just two days ago, there was one fire near Lingamayya Swamy temple near Mannanur. It was put off after we informed the forest officials about it,” said Lingaiah, a resident of Mannanur.