Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday asked forest department officials to prepare an integrated plan for significant reduction in forest fire incidents.
Drones will be used to help forest guards facing problems in the jungle. Besides, they will be used to drop ration and medicines in the interior parts of the forest inaccessible by road.
Kandhamal (Odisha), Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh), Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), and East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh) are some of the forest fire hotspot districts that are also showing a swapping trend from flood to drought.
Forest fire is an annual phenomenon in the UNESCO biosphere reserve in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district that is home to rich biodiversity.
As per reports, some deer sneaked into Nihangandi village under Thakurmunda forest range after they were chased by street dogs.
The jungles near Balikiari, Burda, Daincha, Pandakimal and Landimal villages are up in flame these days.
Odisha reported 51,968 forest fires between November 2020 and June 2021 — the highest in India for the period and five-fold surge in the number of incidents as compared to the preceding year, according to the Union Ministry for Environment.
Though the exact reason behind the origin of the flames was unclear, forest officials said someone might have dropped burning bidi butts on the dry leaves scattered in the jungle which led to the fire mishap.
Aizawl: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthangs over phone about the forest fire in the northeastern state and assured all help of the Central…
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Forest and Environment Minister B K Arukha told the Assembly on Wednesday that 23,473 fire incidents were reported from different forests in the state since January this year. Replying to separate questions in the Assembly the minister said the fire incidents were mostly ground fire and not crown fire for which there had […]
Phulbani: A 73-year-old tribal woman was charred to death in a forest fire in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Wednesday, police said. The deceased was identified as Ramabati Pradhan of Bali village under Raikia Police Station limit. She came in contact with the fire while engaged in collecting ‘Mahua’ flower, one of the major forest produce […]
Baripada: At least two persons were arrested on Monday on the charge of setting fire in Jodibill Reserve Forest near Similipal National Park, where a forest guard was burnt alive while dousing the inferno, police said. A 58-year-old contractual guard engaged by Odisha forest department was caught in a fiery whirlwind and was burned to […]
Boudh: A man and his son were arrested for allegedly setting a forest ablaze at Madhapur in Boudh district on Monday. The accused duo identified as Asan Majhi and his son Shyamghan, residents of Madhapur Colony sahi were setting dry leaves on fire in Mundeswar reserve forest under Madhapur range. Axes and match box have […]
Bhubaneswar: Light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm is likely to occur in the north coastal areas of the State for one more day, said Madan Mohan Das, duty officer of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, on Saturday. Unseasonal rains that lashed parts of northern and western Odisha in the last 24 hours has […]
Bhubaneswar: Even as the Odisha government claims to have brought the overall forest fire situation in the State under control, a release by the chairman of the newly formed Task Force presented a completely different picture on Thursday. As per the statement released by the Task Force chairman, Sandeep Tripathy, forest fires have been witnessed […]
Dhenkanal: As many as three persons have been arrested on charges of setting fire at Ranjagada reserve forest here in Dhenkanal district. The accused caught by the forest department personnel have been identified as Hrudananda Singh, Sahadeb Behera and Anirudha Behera. Hrudananda belongs to Mandiapada village under Kankadahada police station in the district while two […]
New Delhi: A Central empowered committee will visit Odisha tomorrow to assess the wildfire situation and provide technical assistance to State officials in containing the blaze in Similipal biosphere reserve and other forests. Union Forest and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has directed the panel comprising experts from the Forest Research Institute, forest conservationists and fire […]
Bhubaneswar: Amidst concerns expressed over the wildfire which has engulfed a large portion of Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district and other parts of the State, the Odisha government on Tuesday directed officials to intensify night patrolling to contain the fire. Apart from this, the State government has decided to deploy extra manpower and machines […]
Baripada: While Odisha is toiling hard to contain the forest fire that broke out across the State, another poacher was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting fire in Gudidiha forest under Dudhiali range in Mayurbhanj district. The accused has been identified as Salu Tiu of Khadakuda village. Acting on a tip off, forest department staff […]
Cuttack: The Bharatiya Bikash Parishad, a social outfit on Tuesday filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court seeking appropriate measures to contain and douse the wildfire in Similipal biosphere reserve and other forests across the State even as the Odisha government claimed to have contained the blaze in the national park. The PIL comes […]
Bhubaneswar: Even though the Odisha government has constituted a high level task force to contain raging forest fire across the State, the blaze continues to devour large tract of forests in several areas in almost all districts of Odisha. Forest and fire services personnel along with locals are finding it tough to douse the raging […]
Sambalpur: With incidents of forest fires on rise in Odisha, the forest authority of Sambalpur division has warned of stringent legal action against those found intentionally setting forest on fire. DFO Sanjeet Kumar informed OTV that people found alight forest areas will be put behind bars without any delay. This apart, the official has also […]
Balasore: Even as fire brigades and forest personnel in the district are finding it tough to contain the wildfires that continue to spread to several areas in the Kuldiha sanctuary for the last four days, fresh incident of fire has been reported from near Balichua in the protected forest last night. Panicked local residents accompanied […]
Bhubaneswar: Even as a devastating wildfire continues to devour the Similipal Tiger Reserve and Sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, 140 km west in Keonjhar district poachers allegedly set the Jharabeda jungles on fire to hunt wild animals. As per reports, three poachers have been arrested on Friday for causing the fire that has spread […]
Bhubaneswar: Even as more than 10 days have passed since a devastating fire broke out in the wilds of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), India’s largest biosphere reserves in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, the State Forest Department is still to bring the situation under control. The raging flames continue to spread from one part to another devouring […]
Karanjia: At least five passengers including a minor boy sustained burn injuries after they got trapped inside a forest fire in Mayurbhanj district following a road mishap on Sunday. All the injured were travelling in an auto-rickshaw when their vehicle collided with another auto near Thakurmunda-Karanjia road. Sources said the occupants of the auto-rickshaw sustained […]
Beijing: At least 26 firefighters have died while battling a forest fire in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, authorities said on Monday. Thirty people were reported missing on Sunday after being trapped by a sudden change in wind direction in Liangshan prefecture in Sichuan province, the South China Morning Post reported. The Emergency Ministry said on […]
Nayagarh: Several rare and medicinal trees have been destroyed after fire broke out inside Banigochha forest under Dasapalla area in Nayagarh district. Sources said unidentified miscreants allegedly set the forest on fire on Saturday. As per reports, several teams of fire services personnel and forest officials have launched a massive operation to douse the flames. […]
Jammu: The annual pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine remained suspended for a second consecutive day on Thursday following a forest fire, police said. Around 25,000 pilgrims were currently stranded at the Katra base camp for clearance to start the uphill trek to the shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. However, helicopter […]
Boudh: A large number of valuable trees have been reduced to ashes over the last seven days as a major fire has been consistently burning several reserve forests of Boudh district. But the forest department is yet to take any action on the issue. Sources said the fire has engulfed over 30 forests under Madhapur, […]
Chennai: Nine trekkers have died in a forest fire on the Kurangani Hills in Tamil Nadu, the District Collector said on Monday. A rescue operation with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters has been underway since Sunday. A total of 27 trekkers were rescued from the fire in picturesque Theni district, some 520 […]
Sambalpur: A vast extent of flora was damaged in a forest fire at Budharaja Reserve Forest in Sambalpur on Sunday. As per reports, thick flames were noticed at the hilltop of Budharaja Reserve Forest located in the heart of Sambalpur city in the morning . Following the alert, fire personnel and forest department officials reached […]
Balasore/Dhenkanal: Fire continues to raze in the two most important sanctuaries of the State – Kuldiha and Satkosia. The Kuldiha sanctuary is burning since the past three days gutting precious trees and threatening animal life in the forest. Similarly, various ranges of the Satkosia sanctuary have also caught fire. In Kuldiha sanctuary in Balasore, the […]
Kandhamal: Fire in different forests along with the scorching summer made life of the people of Kandhamal district.
Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of Earth Day, the state government has decided to launch a program under which villagers living close to fire-prone forests will be given incentives for tackling forest fire in a bid to prevent major loss to forest cover. At a special program to mark the occasion of Earth Day, state government […]
Bhubaneswar: Large tracts of the Chandaka forest went up in flames in a fire which continues to rage since Wednesday night. According to eye witnesses, they saw smoke billowing from the forest and followed it to find that a fire had broken out inside the forest. They said the forest department officials were informed about […]