3 Labourers Killed In Tiger Reserve Fire In Maharashtra

A forest official said that 50 to 60 forest staff, including officers and labourers, were engaged in dousing the flames which were largely controlled by 5 pm.

Three labourers died and two others were seriously injured while dousing a fire that broke out in the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) in Gondia district of Maharashtra, a forest department official said on Friday. Senior forest official M Ramanujam said that the fire was started by unidentified persons at around 11.30 am on Thursday in compartments (territorial units of a forest) in Nagzira and Pitezhari areas of the reserve. He said 50 to 60 forest staff, including officers and labourers, were engaged in dousing the flames which were largely controlled by 5 pm. However, due to strong winds, the fire spread again and three forest labourers died and two others were seriously injured after getting caught in the blaze, the release said.