Mumbai: Fire brought under control after 14 hours, minister seeks probe

On Tuesday, environment minister Ramdas Kadam sought an investigation into the incident. “I am doubtful about the causes of the fire that destroyed vegetation on over 60 acres of land. It should be probed whether it was an accident or someone purposefully set it ablaze,” he told reporters. “The forest department should initiate an inquiry into the incident. I am going to raise the issue with forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar,” Kadam said.

The forest fire was the biggest in the recent history of the city, fire fighters claimed. The hillock is between Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and fearing that the blaze would spread to the park, which has a thicker forest cover compared to the hillock, the fire brigade studied Google Maps to understand the area.

“Forest fire is never extinguished but its containment is of importance. We took the assistance of Google Maps and GPS to study the area,” said P S Rahangdale, the chief fire officer.

The fire fighters also studied the wind and grid patterns to predict the spread of the fire.

Around 50 workers, including firefighters and volunteers, were divided into teams to work on the hillock. “Worldwide, fire-break is the strategy employed to contain forest fires. We used green tree branches for breaking the fire chain,” Rahangdale said.

SGNP Director Anwar Ahmed said: “We had sent forest guards and officials to the spot. By Monday late night, the fire was contained and it did not spread towards SGNP.” According to the forest department, the land that got affected in the blaze is private property.

Local activists and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also demanded an inquiry into the incident. Stalin D, an environmentalist, said: “I am writing to the forest department and the environment minister about restoring and acquiring the land. It is a vast area and the origin of the Oshiwara river. Such an area should not be in private hands.”