Kendrapara: The spark from funeral pyre swept through about half-an-acre of mangrove forest at Barunei in the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, causing damage to standing trees.

The fire mishap occurred on Wednesday at Chitaakhola forest area of the sanctuary. However, fire brigade personnel and forest department workers doused it promptly, said range officer Amaresh Nath Pradhan.

The reserve forest is an ideal habitat for spotted deer and wild boars.

"Pentha villagers were cremating a body by burning firewood when the mishap took place. After cremating the body, they had left the spot with smoke billowing out from the pyre. Later, spark from the burnt wood led to the fire outbreak," he said.

Local people have been using the area as a cremation ground for long.

However, fire mishap of this nature was not reported in the forest in the past.

"It's an act of illegality to bury or cremate bodies in the protected reserve forest areas. Under no circumstances, such human interference and unlawful use for forest land would be permitted to take place in future. The forest department had earlier a lenient view of cremation rites as they were adopting adequate precaution in completely dousing the pyre following the rituals, said Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) divisional forest officer Bimal Prasanna Acharya.

The forest department has registered a case under the Orissa Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act in this connection, the official said.