Bardiya National Park (BNP) authority admitted on Monday their failure to douse fire raging in the park since the last three weeks.Park officials said they could not douse the fire despite the best efforts of security staff, employees and residents.

BNP Chief Conservation Officer Manoj Shah said they are unable to identify the arsonists. “We suspect poachers; people who collect fodder, fire wood and honey hunters have kindled the fire.

The fire has devastated the park’s area from Parewaodar to Lalmatiya.

“We are having problems to contain the fire due to strong wind and heat waves,” said Shah. “Fires continue to rage in the eastern and northern side.”

Smouldering fire, smoke and ash continue to expose people living in buffer zones to health hazards. Plumes of smoke engulf Bhurigaun, Karmala, Sainawar, Mainawar and Auri areas.

Thakurbaba-1 resident Dip Bahadur Khatri said, “The dense smoke restricts peoples’ free movement in the area.”

The fire threatens safety of wild animals. “Fire has displaced animals from areas burnt in the bushfire,” said Shah. The East-West Highway passes through the BNP area.

Park officials are yet to estimate losses inflicted by the fire. “We do not know about the damages yet. We hope wild animals moved away from the fire zone,” said Shah.

The park does not have fire extinguishers and fire engines to douse the wildfires in the remote areas.

The park area spread over 968 square kilometres. It has the second highest tiger population with 62 adults and 13 cubs and other endangered animals.

Saptari fires cause Rs 2 million loss

RAJBIRAJ: Properties worth nearly Rs 2 million were destroyed in separate incidents of fire in Saptari district on Monday. Police said the fires  at Surunga Municipality-1 and Bishnupur Rural Municipality-3 in the district destroyed seven homes. There were no  casualties in  (RSS)