Rajgir forest fire under control: Officials

A fire in the forests atop Vyohargiri hills in Bihar was brought under control on Tuesday by a team of firefighters and forest guards. The district administration is monitoring the area with drone cameras and has appealed to locals to report any incidents of fire or smoke. The forests are a source of rare herbal plants and trees and have a good population of wildlife. The cause of the fire is suspected to be visitors leaving behind burning match sticks. The situation is now under control.

PATNA: A fire which broke out in the forests atop the Vyohargiri hills in Bihar’s Rajgir on Sunday was brought under control by a team of firefighters, forest guards, and Nalanda district administration on Tuesday, officials said.

Strict monitoring of the forests atop the Vyohargiri hills is also being conducted by drone cameras, district administration officials said. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

The district administration also made an appeal to locals to inform the control room about any incident of fire and smoke in the area.

Strict monitoring of the forests atop the Vyohargiri hills is also being conducted by drone cameras, district administration officials said.

Vyohargiri is one among the five hills which surrounds the Rajgir Valley in Nalanda district. The hill has great historical and religious significance in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hindu religions.

The forests on the hills have been a rich source of rare herbal plants and trees and there has also been a good population of wildlife.

“The fire was first witnessed on Sunday in the forests near Jarasandh Ka Akhara and Pandu Pokhar. It covered a linear patch of four kilometres. Though our team of firefighters and forest guards brought the situation under control within hours, it again appeared because of the Pacchua winds. The monuments atop the hill are intact,” said Nalanda DM Shashank Shubhankar.

Ashok Mishra, SP, Nalanda, said that though the exact reason for the fire is yet to be confirmed, it is suspected that some visitors might have left behind burning match sticks. “We are investigating the reason for the cause of fire from all angles. The situation now is totally under control,” the SP said.

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