Wildfire rages on in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve for a week

A wildfire has been raging on in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve for a week now. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered officials to douse the fire. Till Wednesday, the fire had devoured eight out of the total 21 ranges of the Similipal Forest Reserve which is spread over 2,750 square km. Patnaik held a high-level review meeting on the situation and described Similipal Forest as a valuable asset of the world. The CM also directed officials on Wednesday to ensure the conservation of the forest and take precautionary measures to avoid the recurrence of a forest fire.