Two snakes were charred to death in a fire that broke out in University of Hyderabad on Tuesday. The fire which broke out in the south campus spread to at least 10 acres and destroyed several plants.
The fire was noticed by the University security around 11.30 am, following which they alerted the fire department. A fire snorkel swiftly came to contain the blaze, and they were aided by the Horticulture department who doused the fire using water tankers. It took nearly two hours for the fire personnel to completely contain the fire. Along with the fire personnel, students and the staff also helped in containing the fire.
"Nearly 10 acres of trees and plants were destroyed in the fire," Ravi Jillapalli, a student and wildlife conservationist from University of Hyderabad told TNM.
"Fortunately, it was an open land, allowing the fire vehicle to move freely and douse the fire almost immediately, else the damage would have been more severe. In the incident, the Horticulture department also helped in putting down the fire," he said.
He said that two rat snakes were found dead as a result of the fire. "We are searching for other wildlife species which could have died in the accident."
The university is home to several endangered wildlife species including spotted deers, wild boars, peacocks etc. However, over the years, the population of these species have been dwindling due to poaching, encroachment and stray dogs, which attack deers regularly.
This is not the first time that such an incident occured. Last year in May, several trees were gutted due to the fire accident in the north part of the campus.