After a lull, a massive fire broke out in the Kambakallu-Kadavari area, near Vattavada, of the proposed Kurinji sanctuary on Monday.
Initial reports said large swaths of eucalyptus plantations were gutted in the fire. Forest officials said the fire was almost under control. However, they added that it was yet to be put out completely and fire-fighters were on the job. There was apprehension that the fire could engulf more areas if it spread to the dry grasslands.
“As per a preliminary estimate, 15 ha of eucalyptus plantations had been gutted,” an official told The Hindu. He claimed that the fire was man-made like those in the past.
Alakar Raja, a native of Vattavada, said he could see the fire engulfing the hill tracts inside the Kurinji sanctuary. Last night also there was a massive fire at the 58th block of the proposed sanctuary, he added.
In March, wildfire raged for six days at Pazhathottam, Jandamala, Kadavari, Anamala, and the Pampadum Shola National Park. Nearly 1,000 ha of forest, plantations, and grasslands had been destroyed.
Probe on
A senior official said a probe was on into the continuing instances of fire at the biodiverse hotspots in the Western Ghats. Only a detailed inquiry would bring out the facts, he said adding that cases had been filed against those who set fire to private lands as there were chances of it having spread to the grasslands and then to the plantations.
Forest fires have forced wild animals to migrate from their habitats in the Munnar region to the Amaravathi forest in Tamil Nadu and human habitations in Munnar.
Last week, herds of wild elephants and wild gaurs entered human settlements at Kundala, 15 km from Vattavada.
It is suspected that the fires might have affected the habitats of wild animals leading to shortage of fodder and water. The migration to distant areas also showed the intensity of the fires and the devastation it caused to the flora and fauna in the forests.