Forest fire guts woods near Haridwar

Haridwar, Apr 10 (ANI): A massive forest fire burnt down expansive stretches of woodlands in the vicinity of Chandi Devi Mandir in the Rajaji National Park of Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

According to police a fast-blowing breeze aggravated the fire, which broke out on Friday evening and soon it spread to vast stretches.

Police and forest officials faced problems in dousing the fire because of dense forest and inaccessible terrain.

If not controlled in time the fire may spread towards the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela location.

Efforts are underway to douse the fire.

Cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

The park is spread over an area of 820.42 square kilometres overlapping three districts - Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal.

The Ganga River flows through the park covering a distance of 24 kilometres. (ANI)