Forest fire rages on for fifth day in Kodaikanal village
DINDIGUL: A forest fire raged on for the fifth consecutive day near Mannavanur village in Kodaikanal. Forest department officials and fire and rescue services personnel are engaged in dousing the blaze. Meanwhile, local sources said that consecutive fire incidents have been occurring in Kodaikanal since the past month.
As mercury levels have started soaring ahead of summer, flash fire incidents are being reported from forest areas in the Dindigul district, especially in areas around Kodaikanal, over the past few weeks. Notably, fire incidents have been reported near Mannavanur, Kookal, Poondi and Poombarai villages in Kodaikanal.
Over 100 personnel from the forest department and fire and rescue services have been deployed to control the fire. A popular tourist destination in Kodaikanal, Poombarai witnesses massive tourist footfall. Considering the safety of the locals, vehicles from other areas are restricted from entering the area.
A senior official from the forest department stated that the fire at Mannavanur was doused on Wednesday, while the fire continues to rage at Kookal village and other areas.
"Due to summer heat, dried grass, and heavy wind are causing the fire to grow stronger and spread in several areas. We are trying to control the forest fire," the official said.
Sources said that several villagers from Idamankarai and other villages joined the rescue teams to put out the fire in the forest area. Notably, the villagers, along with the forest department and firefighters cleared dried grass to prevent the fire from spreading further. Cross-fire maneuvers are also being used to control the fire in some areas.
Activists claimed that extinguishing such forest fires in hilly areas requires the deployment of helicopters. However, the forest and fire department officials are using conventional methods to douse the fire.