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.
