Resort in Binsar caught in forest fire, restaurant burnt

ALMORA: A luxury resort at a popular tourist destination, Kasar Devi in Almora, caught fire from a forest blaze on Friday. Around 35 tourists who were staying in 18 rooms of the resort, mostly from Delhi, Maharashtra and Gurgaon, were safely evacuated.
The blaze completely razed the resort's restaurant, made of wood, spread around a 1,000 sq feet area, according to fire officials who reached the spot.
Fire officer Umesh Singh, who was part of the team involved in dousing the flames, said, "Flaming pine needles (pirul) from the forest dropped on the restaurant's roof, setting it ablaze."
According to Singh, the forest fire started near the Kasar Devi temple in Almora around 11:30 am. It spread to the resort within two hours. A fire brigade team, consisting of 10 fire engines, reached the resort around 2:30 pm and after three hours of efforts, managed to douse the flames.
Forest conservator Praveen Kumar said that "in all likelihood, this is the first time that a wildfire has gutted part of a resort's premises in Uttarakhand." "A probe is underway on what exactly caused the fire," he added.
The owner of the resort could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Meanwhile, the forest department has caught four minors for the incident. The forest team, which has been questioning the children, suspect that they might be responsible for the fire in the forest area.