A forest fire that could have destroyed several hundreds of acres in the upper hills of Kodaikanal was completely extinguished on Saturday.
Forest officials said the fire broke out inside the reserve forest area on Friday. Officials inspected the area and said there was no casualty and only dry grass and plants had been destroyed in the blaze.
Deploying hundreds of men from forest and fire departments, senior officers monitored the situation. The fire could not be contained as the weather was hot and windy on the first day. After assessment, they decided to contain the flames at several points, arresting their spread., a fire officer said.
The smoke, which was visible in and around Perumal Malai and other nearby habitations on Friday, cleared and normalcy returned after almost 20 hours of fire fighting, the officer added.
The senior officials said they would sensitise the local people against lighting match sticks and beedis inside while grazing. With the mercury levels rising, the grass had become dry and a small spark was enough to cause devastation.
