Forest fire destroys nearly 200 acres

At least 200 acres of forest were destroyed today in a raging fire in an area under Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris District, forest department officials said.
Sparks from a bamboo thicket brushing together had led to the fire, which spread to forest areas in Masinagudi, Mayar, Sincara, Bokkapuram villages burning nearly 200 acres, they said.
Traffic on Udhagamandal-Masinagudi Road was blocked for nearly one hour, as locals, personnel from forest and fire and rescue department, tried to douse the fire.
Fire tenders from Masinagudi and Gudalur were requisitioned to extinguish the fire.
Forest department officials said larger animals had already migrated to Bandipur and Muthanga in Karnataka and Kerala respectively and so there was not much fear of huge losses.

However, reptiles like snakes, could have been charred to death due to the fire, which is yet to be controlled inside the forests, officials said.