100 trees destroyed in fire at Mayani bird sanctuary

PUNE: A fire broke out at the Mayani bird sanctuary in the Khatav taluka in Satara on Monday evening, destroying around hundred trees and grass over four acres of land. Residents of the nearby localites managed to douse the fire in a couple of hours, even as forest department officials rushed to the spot when informed.
A number of tamarind and custard-apple saplings were destroyed in the fire.According to forest official T Tambe, "An unidentified person dropped a lighted cigarette on the Pandharpur road, 100 metres away from the bird sanctuary's compound. The cigarette lit the dry grass and the fire soon spread in the bird sanctuary."
Around 10 to 12 women were working in the sanctuary premises and saw the fire spreading rapidly. They tried to control the fire from spreading further by beating tree branches on it.
"The fire kept on spreading. Later, residents Sukhdev Bhinde and Subhash Bhise brought 8 to 10 huge vessels filled with water and doused the fire. It took them more than two hours to bring the fire under control," Tambe said.