Forest fire near engineering college at Bantakal: Firefighters scramble to douse blaze

Shirva: A fire broke out at a forested land near the engineering college in Bantakal in Shirva on Sunday due to a n electric arc sparked from an electric transformer. The fire quickly spread to the surrounding forest area.

As soon as the locals noticed the flames, they immediately informed the fire station and attempted to douse the fire. However, their efforts were in vain as the fire continued to spread rapidly.

In response to the emergency call, Mir Mohammed Ghouse of the Udupi fire brigade and his team rushed to the spot to bring the fire under control.  SMVIT college principal, Thirumaleshwara Bhat, gram panchayat member K R Patkar, members of Jyothi Friends Club, students boarding at the college hostel, locals Raghavendra Nayak, Virendra Patkar, Anantram Wagle, and others were also present at the scene to assist in extinguishing the flames.

The Shirva police station and staff, led by Anil Kumar Nayak, also provided much-needed support in dousing the fire.