FIRE UPDATE: Infernos active at nine locations, says Forest Dept

PANJIM: In a latest update, the Forest Department on Saturday informed that nine forest fires including four in the government forests are active while they managed to douse the blaze at 14 separate places till 4 pm.

The locations where the fires are still active include Derodem Dongor, Surla I, Mollem, Surla II-Mollem, Gurchem-Dharbandora, Collem Range, Potrem-Netravali, Cumari-Netravali in Wildlife Sanctuary, Copordem, Valpoi-Sigao and Pokermol. 

Meanwhile, the hillock near Gogol Housing Board too caught fire on Saturday afternoon.

The fire was doused at Anmod Ghat in Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary, Satrem bridge, Satrem Parod, Kalay beat-Mollem, Aglote-Collem, Bethora in Ponda, Patiem, Netravali;  Avli in Canacona, Kinalkatta-Canacona and Colomba-Curdi (all government forests) and Tivrem-Ponda Private area; Sonshi, Sattari;  Dramapur Sarzora hillock, near Margao and Vasco (all private land). 

The Forest Department had deployed over 530 persons including manpower from other departments, Fire and Emergency Services and PRIs to put out the fire and required a large number of volunteers for the next two days to save burning forests in Sattari and Mollem. 

Those interested may contact DCF Anand Jadhav, IFS (Mobile No: 9423055657) or Chandrakant Shinde – VEAB Goa (Mobile No: 9130555168).

24×7 control room: A 24×7 control room has been established for real-time monitoring of the alerts generated by FSI. 

Exact geo-coordinates and maps of fire locations are shared to the field functionaries on a real-time basis to immediately attend to the fires.

The State government has banned entry of unauthorised persons into the forest areas and specific directions have been also given to the DCFs to ensure and strictly enforce the forest laws and wildlife laws, as applicable and that the matter be flagged to Goa Police Department for investigation at their levels as well.

MoEF&CC orders probe to ascertain reasons/causes 

for fires across Goa

Asks DCFs to conduct detailed enquiry into fire incidents, which have occurred since March 5

PANJIM: The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Delhi has ordered an inquiry to ascertain reasons/causes for fires at each location across the State.

The MoEF&CC has asked all the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCFs) concerned to conduct detailed enquiry into each of the fire incidents, which have occurred in the State since March 5.

The impacted areas have been divided into sectors and duties have been assigned to DCF and ACF level officers to immediately attend to the fires, for intensive management of forest fires in close coordination with line departments.

The District Magistrates have been requested to activate Disaster Management Machinery at their respective jurisdiction and issue instructions to the responsible officials for prevention and control of fire.

The authorities have been asked to disseminate dos and don’ts about forest fires amongst the public at large.

The authorities have been asked to intensify forest fire prevention measures.

And as a precautionary measure to check reoccurrence of fires, all the sites where fire has been doused are being monitored regularly to control it immediately.

As per the reports received from the field, since March 5 and till Friday morning, as many as 48 fire spots were detected and attended to by the field executives in close coordination with line departments and local public including PRIs, the MoEF&CC stated. Of these, seven fires were reported to be active and 41 fires were already doused.

The MoEF&CC has observed that long dry-spell (almost no rains since mid-October 2022) coupled with unprecedented high summer temperature with low humidity has resulted in a conducive atmosphere for fire, which has been aggravated by high winds observed in the past couple of weeks, particularly after sundown.

It further said that fires are mostly reported from the deciduous patches across the State. The nature of fire seen and observed is surface fire. Surface fires burn loose and dried leaf litter, dried herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, small trees, and saplings that are at or near the surface of the ground, mostly by flaming combustion.

The expansion and spread of the surface fire are dictated by the load of surface fuel an area harbours; at places dead trees/fallen logs have added onto the intensity of the fire. Due to the burning debris, smoke and fumes are continuously observed and cover a large area.