Uttarakhand: Fire breaks out in forests of Srinagar, authorities struggle to contain blaze

Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], April 9 : A massive fire broke out in the forests of Srinagar city of Pauri district of Uttarakhand at 6.30pm on Tuesday, fire officials said.
The forest department and fire brigade arrived at the scene to extinguish the blaze, but the fire has escalated to such an extent that both teams are struggling to contain it.
More than two dozen forest workers are engaged in controlling the fire.
"These days the fire rapidly grows in the forest. The fire department should have been vigilant to control the fire so that forest resources could be saved. At around 6pm in the evening, when I was going for a walk, I saw it and by that time the fire was increased already," a local resident Meherwan Singh Rawat said.
"The forest ignited after 6 pm. I suspect that individuals, possibly motivated by fear of tigers, deliberately started the fire." Forest area officer RP Kukreti informed.