Fire destroys over 20 acres of forest reserve

About 20 acres of land inside a forest in Shivanagar in Vavuniya was destroyed due to a wildfire that swept through it last afternoon. The fire was eventually doused by the combined efforts of the army, air force, police and area residents. 

Area residents who had seen the fire had first alerted the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) base at Vellankulam. The SLAF in turn had alerted the 61th Division base and the Purvasankulam police. 

A water bowser from the Vellankulam SLAF base together with about 30 air force personnel and another bowser from the 61th Division base along with about 20 soldiers had promptly been dispatched to the location. A team of police officers from the Purvasankulam police and area residents had also come to their assistance. 

While the fire raging closer to the main road was doused quickly, the teams had to battle for over four hours to completely douse the fire further inside the reserve due to the area being inaccessible for the bowsers. 

Meanwhile, the security forces have advised people in Vavuniya not to start fires in their gardens or any forested areas due to the prevailing drought situation in the area. 

Story and Pix by Romesh Madhusanka

 

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