A massive fire broke out inside Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lake, under Tangi range on Thursday night. Although the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, wildlife officials suspect the incident was man-made.
Officials Suspect Miscreants
“Some miscreants might have set afire the Nala grass inside the lagoon, which has dried in summer. We will investigate the matter to identify the offender and arrest the miscreants,” said Amlan Nayak, divisional forest officer (DFO), Chilika.
Rapid Spread Due to Wind
The blaze, which broke out in patches of Nala grass inside the lagoon — home to several residential and migratory birds and fishing cats — spread rapidly because of high-speed wind. Forest personnel from different ranges of Chilika Wildlife Division rushed to the spot to extinguish the blaze. They faced difficulty approaching the fire due to mud and drastically low water levels caused by the scorching sun.
Despite the challenges, the forest personnel managed to douse the fire by spraying water from the lagoon through pipes, said Nayak.
Possible Motive
Boatmen generally set fire to Nala grasses to ensure smooth sailing of their boats, according to a forest officer. “Earlier, we conducted an awareness campaign among the people of the area not to set fire to Nala grass in summer,” said Chitrasen Jena, Tangi wildlife range officer.
Impact on Wildlife
Residential birds typically nest in the bushes of Nala grasses. The DFO stated that fishing cats, elusive animals, as well as the birds, would have moved to other places after seeing the fire.
