A sudden rise in incidents of forest fires in Aarey Milk Colony in the past few weeks has sparked several conspiracy theories amongst local residents and environmentalists, who suspect that the fires are being lit deliberately by certain elements to further their vested interests.

Kaushal Dubey, a nature lover associated with the NGO SARRP, examines a tree that was partly charred in Tuesday night’s fire. Dubey had called the fire brigade when he saw the fire around 12.30 am. Pic/Sameer Markande