Darjeeling: A major disaster was averted at the Jaldapara National Park owing to the timely intervention of forest personnel. 75 acres of grassland on the banks on the River Torsa was gutted in a fire. However, there are no reports of any large tree being destroyed or the death of a large animal. The fire broke out at around 8 pm on Monday. With heavy winds, the fire had spread in the dry grassland rapidly. It took more than 10 hours of relentless firefighting to bring the blaze under control. Debdarshan Rai, Deputy Wildlife Assistant, Jaldapara said: "Forest guards had seen some persons starting a fire in the elephant fodder grassland area on Monday. The guards gave them a chase. However, they managed to escape by crossing the river. We are trying to ascertain the identity of the miscreants. Investigations are on." The fire spread in the East Range of the National Park in the Malangi 1 and Malangi 3 compartments. Beating method was used to douse the fire. "3 meter wide fire lines had already been cut throughout the forest. This prevented the fire from spreading and causing further damage," added Rai. The grasslands are home to the famous Indian one horned rhinoceros. However, with the grasslands having dried up completely at this time (end of winters), the rhinos had moved deeper into the forest. Thereby they were saved from the fire. Since Tuesday morning, the forest personnel and officials inspected the 75 acres of damaged grassland. The fire lines were also checked. "A major disaster was averted owing to the relentless efforts of the forest personnel taking high risks to battle the fire all through the night," stated Rajib Banerjee, state Forest minister.

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