A forest fire broke out in Valparai on Friday night, destroying trees and vegetation on seven acres before it was put out after hours of struggle on Saturday.
According to a forest officer, the fire broke out in the jungle between Karumalai tea estate and Akkamalai tea estate at night. The public immediately informed the estate authorities, forest officers and the fire service personnel.
As the fire service personnel managed to reach the spot and began firefighting, staff of the tea estates and forest personnel also joined the exercise.After several hours of struggle, they managed to bring the fire under control. But by then, trees and other vegetation on seven acres of forest land were destroyed.
Valparai has been recording high temperatures for the past few days. As a result, shrubs had dried up and it sparked fire, the officer said.
Since there is a danger of forest fire, the forest department has asked the public not to carry inflammable substances when they cross jungles.