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‘Careless smoking’ sparks raging fire in Dindoshi hills

Dec 30, 2024 08:16 AM IST

Environmentalists said this was the latest in a series of such fires aimed at systematically destroying forest land for real estate projects.

Mumbai: A forested patch in the Dindoshi hills, measuring about 1-1.5 square kilometres, went up in flames mysteriously late at night on Saturday, leaving firemen struggling in the dark for over two hours to extinguish it. The fire brigade said a stray beedi or cigarette thrown by a careless smoker may have sparked the fire that burnt down grass, leaves and shrubs inside what appeared like a privately-owned plot, Hindustan Times found on Sunday. But environmentalists said this was the latest in a series of such fires in the Dindoshi hills aimed at systematically destroying forest land for real estate projects.

The patch that went up in flames on Saturday night was covered with ash on Sunday. (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)
The patch that went up in flames on Saturday night was covered with ash on Sunday. (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

“Some residents of the area informed me about the fire around 11pm,” said Sandeep Sawant, an environmentalist. Since the fire was visible from the highway, he tried going to the spot but was stopped by security guards at the gate. So he went to a neighbouring highrise building to have a look.

“It looked like a ring of fire, with several spots aflame at the same time instead of having a single origin,” said Sawant.

The fire brigade was informed at 12:06pm and they rushed to the spot immediately, said Somnath Jaybhaye, the fire officer in-charge.

“Since there were no road leading up to the forested patch, around 20 men had to trek up the hill over 15-20 minutes to get there,” he said. “Such forest fires have a way of spreading and enveloping firemen, making extinguishing them difficult, which is why it took us over two hours.” The fire was extinguished at 2:35am and no injuries were reported in the incident.

Careless smoking was the likely cause of the fire as per preliminary investigation, said the officer. “We did not find any one around the spot as proof, but it seems that a beedi or cigarette that wasn’t fully extinguished sparked the fire. Adivasis living in hamlets nearby have access to the plot, so it could have been them,” he said.

It was also possible that the fire was started to clear off dead vegetation or for the purpose of clearing land for slums, Jaybhaye noted, adding, “Such fires were common in the hills.”

Environmentalists also agreed that such fires were common, especially in the winter. But they also felt the fires were part of a systematic attempt at destroying the forest cover and opening up the area to the real estate market.

“Just as the forests had begun reviving from a massive fire in October 2022, another fire has struck,” said Stalin D, director of Vanashakti, a nonprofit focussed on the environment. He concurred with Sawant regarding the fire having multiple sources and being deliberately set off.

The vegetation in the area was cleared last month, after which complaints seeking a probe were sent to various authorities, said Stalin and Sawant. Another complaint was sent to authorities on Sunday seeking registration of an FIR against the owners of the plot.

“The site is guarded like a top-secret nuclear facility. A huge force of bouncers and security guards is stationed there 24x7. And yet, they could not prevent a fire of this magnitude,” said Stalin.

The area falls under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park’s ecologically sensitive zone, which is protected by the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Regardless of whether the land is owned by the government or private entities, those responsible for the fire must be brought to book, the activists demanded.

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