A major wildfire that launched concerted firefighting efforts by more than 200 forest officials and the services of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the Agali and Attappady ranges of Mannarkkad forest division was brought under control on Sunday.
Although an IAF chopper was ready to fly a sortie to douse the fire at Malleeswaran Peak between Mukkali and Thavalam early on Sunday, the aerial operation was called off as the blaze on the steep hill had died down naturally on Saturday night.
The IAF had flown a helicopter sortie on Saturday evening to douse the fire at Malleeswaran Peak, but without success.
The district administration and the State Disaster Management Authority sought the help of the IAF after the Forest Department team found it tough to access the burning steep terrain.
Eating into forests
Malleeswaran Peak was the last of the 15 locations where fire ate into the semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests of Attappady and Agali. While the 200-plus team of forest officers controlled the blaze in all other locations, Malleeswaran Peak threw them a big challenge.
“The terrain was so steep and hard for us to access. The natural end to the blaze was of much relief to us,” said Mannarkkad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) K.K. Sunil Kumar.
Fresh fire
However, forest officials were engaged in dousing a fresh fire that broke out at Chenthamala on Sunday. For the past one week, more than 200 forest officials were on their toes inside the Attappady and Agali jungles, taking fire belts and making counter-fires to control the 15-odd fires apparently set light by people. They were on duty in 10 teams centred at forest outposts such as Bomyampadi and Pudur.
A daunting task
“In the scorching summer heat, firefighting inside the forest is daunting,” said Mr. Sunil Kumar. Forest officials begin firefighting as early as 6 a.m. and are forced to withdraw by 10 a.m. because of the intensity of heat. They will return the heat subsides in the afternoon.
Mr. Sunil Kumar said there was no shortage of hands for the firefighting. Forty trainees from the State Forest Training Institute, Walayar, too had joined the team. Anticipating more fire incidents, the Forest Department has mobilised a large contingent in the region.