Mysterious forest fires scorch 20 acres inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Thane: A series of mysterious forest fires over the past three evenings scorched roughly 20 acres of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), alarming environmentalists and residents staying in residential enclaves along the forest fringes.

Forest officials estimated the blazes collectively spread across nearly 20 acres of forest land. A detailed assessment of the damage to flora, fauna, and the exact area affected will be released after a formal survey, said forest department officials.

The first blaze was reported on Sunday evening in the forest opposite Gawandbaug, where forest teams managed to contain the fire in time. Another larger fire broke out late on Monday night, followed by a third blaze on Tuesday evening in the same range, with flames visible from as far as Pawar Nagar and Mulla Baug, according to disaster management officials.

Officials at the regional disaster management cell in Thane said the department was flooded with complaints from vigilant residents since Monday night.

Several residents living in housing complexes along the forest boundary said they witnessed flames at multiple spots inside the jungle over the last 3 days and alerted authorities.

"Luckily the smoke hasn't affected our buildings, but the repeated fires are worrying. The blaze late on Monday night was one of the biggest we've seen in years," said Nitin Singh, who lives at Cosmos Lounge.

Another resident requesting anonymity questioned if it was the handiwork of the forest mafia, considering the growing infringement of humans and commercial activities in the forest area.

Environment activist Rohit Joshi, who spearheaded the cause of rising encroachments in the forest area, said natural forest fires were unlikely in the region, but the incident needed a thorough investigation.

Range forest officer Mayur Survase confirmed the incidents and said teams responded quickly to contain the fires, but the cause of the repeated outbreaks is still under investigation.