New fire in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, doused under hour

KERI: A fresh fire broke out at Surla inside Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday afternoon. It was doused in less than an hour. A forest official said that the fire was detected at Surla at 1.15pm and was doused fully by 2pm by nine forest frontline staffers and locals.
The fire on the right bank of the Surla nullah that flows through the borders of Goa and Karnataka was sighted by the villagers. They brought it to the notice of the range forest officer, Geerish Bailudkar, who immediately deployed his staff.
Forest fires first started in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary on March 4 and spread to other sanctuaries over 10 days, posing a serious threat to the wildlife habitat. The fires were doused with the help of defence helicopters, forest staff, and volunteers.