Fire destroys forest in Kolli Hills

NAMAKKAL: A fire broke out atop Kolli Hills on Wednesday night. Forest personnel and locals doused the raging fire after an eight-hour struggle in the night.“The fire that broke out in two places, one  behind the check post in Karavalli and the other at the forests at Bodinaickenpatti was brought under control in the wee hours of Thursday,” District Forest Officer (DFO) Ashish Kumar Srivatsava told Express.The DFO, who spent the night supervising the fire-fighting efforts on the hills, said 12 to 13 hectares of reserve forest might have been damaged due to the bush fire.However, no damage was caused to the trees; only dry leaves, decayed trees and grass were burnt, he noted.Srivatsava said, “By employing traditional methods and counter-fire measures, we were able to bring the fire under control.”The forest department officials are conducting an inquiry to ascertain the cause of fire. Officials noted that it could be due to the negligence of tourists or shepherds who frequent the area. The reason should be found in a day or two, they said.