Careless smoking sparks raging fire in Maharashtra's Dindoshi hills

Latest in a series of such fires aimed at destroying forest land for realty market, say environmentalists

- Sabah Virani

MUMBAI: A forested patch in the Dindoshi hills, measuring about 1-1.5 square kilometers, went up in flames mysteriously late at night on Saturday, leaving firemen struggling in the dark for over two hours to extinguish it. The fire brigade said a stray beedi or cigarette thrown by a careless smoker may have sparked the fire inside what appeared like a privately-owned plot, Hindustan Times found on Sunday. But environmentalists said this was the latest in a series of such fires aimed at destroying forest land for real estate projects.

"Some residents informed me about the fire around 11 pm," said Sandeep Sawant, an environmentalist. Since it was visible from the highway, he tried going to the spot but was stopped by security guards. So he went to a highrise building to have a look. "It looked like a ring of fire, with several spots aflame at the same time instead of having a single origin," said Sawant.