Sariska fire largely under control: Rajasthan CM Gehlot

Jaipur, Mar 31 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said the fire in the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district is largely "under control".

The chief minister said the place where the fire broke out was a mountain area and firefighters had difficulty reaching there.

The area under fire has shrunk and the blaze in the remaining area will be doused soon, he tweeted, adding that 400 forest workers and villagers continuously working to douse the flames.

"The administration has largely brought the Sariska fire under control" he said. Gehlot said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday over the phone regarding the fire.

"I had assured him that the fire would be brought under control by evening or tomorrow morning," he said. Meanwhile, head of the Rajasthan forest force, D N Pandey, said there was no delay in response after the fire was noticed as tiger reserves are better guarded with frequent patrolling.

The officer said the exact reason for the fire is yet to be known. Tropical forests are more prone to such incidents across the world, he said, adding that no loss of life has been reported so far. The fire broke out in the Sariska forest on Sunday evening and gradually spread over to an area of about 10 sq kilometres. Two Indian Air Force helicopters were pressed into service to douse the fire. There are 27 tigers in the Sariska sanctuary.