A very true and sad news for nature lovers and eco generation members:A major forest fire in the Seshachalam ranges on Tuesday burnt down rich and rare fauna and flora in thousands of hectares of forest. Fire fighters and forest staff were toiling hard to bring the fire under control even as the rampaging inferno spread to other parts of the forest. Three teams of the fire service personnel, numbering around 50, and several forest staff were involved in the fire-fighting operations.

The forest fire broke out at Kakula Konda near the TTD?s sandalwood plantations on Tirumala, just 3 km from the Tirumala  temple. It was noticed in the early  hours of Tuesday by the locals who informed the TTD officials. By evening, the fire spread over a vast area of the forest, razing to ground whatever came in its way. The fire was reportedly started with dry leaves catching fire due to the summer heat. The forest staff and fire services personnel were also forced to run for cover as the fire spread fast through the dry leave cover on the ground and even razed down dried up branches and trees across its path.

??By 3 p.m, the fire burnt down around 1,000 hectares of forest. The flames rose to a height of 50 metres and thick smoke engulfed the entire area making it difficult to take up fire-fighting,?? .

??Almost a complete forest range had been wiped out in the fire,?? an officer said. The entire stretch of forest right from Parveti Mandapam to Deer Park and other stretches was burnt down, they said. The officials said that they suspected that the fire might have started on Monday in the deep valleys of the forest.

The fire-fighters were helpless as the fire  occurred deep inside the forest, which was both almost impregnable to forest officials and inaccessible to fire tenders.

Armed with live tree branches, the fire-fighters and forest staff cleared the dry leaves cover in front of the path of the fire in a bid to stop it from spreading. Officials said the sparks from the fire flew high into the air and fell almost two  km away from the Kakula Konda and started a  fire there also. Fire started near Papanasanam stretch also and the fire-fighters had a tough time in reaching there also.

Several species of flora and fauna in the area were swallowed by the fire, a forest  official said and added that he had heard cries of peacocks and some animals which  might have been burnt alive. ??Fire engulfed from all sides making it impossible for some animals to escape,?? the officer said. Heavy winds stoked the fire which further created hurdles for the fire fighters.