Human negligence likely cause of December fires at Kaas plateau

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Human negligence, possibly a cigarette butt, could be the cause of two fires that ravaged a portion of the world-famous Kaas plateau in Satara in December, forest officials said today. The plateau, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site since 2012, attracts visitors from across the globe who come there to see hundreds of varieties of flowers growing over a 1,800 hectare area.

"On December 21, a fire broke out at a portion of the Kaas plateau not frequented by tourists and an area of around four hectares was damaged. The fire was successfully doused by the forest officials along with local residents," a forest official from Satara division said. He said that a case under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 had been registered against unidentified persons.

The second instance of fire was on December 30 and it destroyed an area of six hectares and a case had been registered in this incident as well, the official said.

"We suspect that the fire were caused by human negligence or someone might have set the area on fire on purpose. There is also a possibility that a discarded cigarette butt started the fire," he said.

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