Jungle fire near Ankai fort razes flora and fauna

Hundreds of birds have been feared killed and a great expanse of flora destroyed in a fire that broke out in the jungles south of Ankai fort near Manmad on Monday evening.

The fire, the cause of which is not known yet, spread fast down the slope of the hill on which the fort is situated.

Villagers rushed to douse the fire with buckets of water. It took some time for the fire engines from Manmad and Yeola to reach the spot. The efforts of the firefighters, however, were not enough to douse the raging fire. The local youths too left no stone unturned to bring it under control.

After several hours the fire was doused but the damage was already done. Villagers fear that various species of wild lizards, reptiles, rabbits and birds have been burnt to ashes.  

While some villagers say that the reason behind the fire could be due to some human negligence, others are of the opinion that it broke out because of a short circuit from the electric wires passing close by.

Ankai-Tankai are twin forts which are located side by side in Ankai village in Nasik district. There are five caves, seven water tanks, and a dargah, besides other things in and around them. These forts were captured by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in 1635.