Fire breaks out at Bengaluru's Turahalli Reserve Forest

A forest fire broke out in the Turahalli Reserve Forest in South Bengaluru for the fourth time in the last three months.

The fire that broke out in the corner of the southern boundary on the way to Ganigarapalya late on Saturday night soon spread to other parts.

Forest department officials from the Kaggalipura range said that the fire was man-made, and some miscreants had set fire. “The ground-level vegetation on four-acre area has been burnt completely. The area had four to five feet tall dry grass and miscreants have set fire to it. We have registered an FIR and are investigating further,” an officer from the Bengaluru Urban forest wing told DH.

Swinging into action along with volunteers, the forest officials successfully controlled the fire by midnight. Due to the fire, the entire area was engulfed in thick smog until the early hours on Sunday.

Last week also, the reserve forest witnessed wildfire in which about four to five acres of vegetation was burnt completely. Similarly, in February, the reserve forest witnessed a major fire that gutted over five acres of vegetation. Forest officials, despite lack of staff and facilities, had successfully managed to prepare the fire line well in advance and contain the fire when it broke out in the middle of the night.