Panaji/Ponda, Apr 07 (TOI): While incidents of mysterious fires in green and forested areas are on the rise, a late evening fire in a once thickly forested roadside property has raised eyebrows as it has been identified as private forest.

The fire was noticed at around 8pm near Curti-Bethora bypass junction and a tender of fire and emergency services rushed to the spot and doused the fire in a short while.

A large patch of vegetation was burnt in the private forest area under survey number 193 and 194 (part), partly on a slope of a hill range extending from Bethora to Khandepar and beyond.

"This patch of forest was thickly vegetated once and even the afternoon sunlight could not penetrate through the canopy," Sandeep Azrencar of Mapusa-based Nisarga nature club, an NGO, said.

Forest department sources said they are looking into the matter. Of the total area of 20 hectares, 12 hectareshas been demarcated as private forest by a government-appointed committee.

Environmental activists lament that the laying of the Bethora bypass from Borim to Curti has been tragic for the rich biodiversity of this lush green forest and orchard land.

"Many patches of green and thick forest areas, specially those under survey number 155 and 156, have been lost to pave way for the bypass," an activist said.