'The major fire broke that broke out at the Rakkipalayam forest range yesterday was not out of nature's fury but it was man-made. People at the temple on the hill-top have the practice of placing fire sticks along the path of the temple to increase visibility and chase away wild animals. We are investigating if that would have been the trigger for the forest fire', said District Forest Officer, S. Ramasubramaniam.
'As the grass and shrubs were extremely dry, any small leakage in fire would lit the whole area in no time. Swift action by the forest officials not only controlled the spread of fire but also helped to save the flora and fauna. Fortunately, no causalities of humans or animals are reported. The forest officials continue to closely monitor the range and strict action would be initiated against the miscreants who involve in such impetuous act'. said DFO.
He also apprised that 'The fire that started to fume around mid-noon, continued till the wee hours of today. Dinesh Kumar, Forest Ranger along with a team of 20 forest staff reached the spot and worked through the night to douse the fire. As the fire spread to the Periyanaickenpalayam forest range too, another set of 15 members were deployed to douse the fire'.
Irresponsible act of humans not only destroy the forests but also alter the bio-diversity and ecology. The fire wards off the native animals from that range to another range as it not only frightens them but destroys their fodder. Fire because of Nature's fury on it's own creations cannot be controlled but human-made fires can be controlled.
Discarding cigarette butts along the fringes of the forest, fire lit for recreational and camping purposes at restricted areas, using fire to chase off animals by the locals are the main triggers for forest fire incidents. And, with the advent of summer, people should abstain from doing such impermissible acts and helps us conserve our forests.
'As the grass and shrubs were extremely dry, any small leakage in fire would lit the whole area in no time. Swift action by the forest officials not only controlled the spread of fire but also helped to save the flora and fauna. Fortunately, no causalities of humans or animals are reported. The forest officials continue to closely monitor the range and strict action would be initiated against the miscreants who involve in such impetuous act'. said DFO.
He also apprised that 'The fire that started to fume around mid-noon, continued till the wee hours of today. Dinesh Kumar, Forest Ranger along with a team of 20 forest staff reached the spot and worked through the night to douse the fire. As the fire spread to the Periyanaickenpalayam forest range too, another set of 15 members were deployed to douse the fire'.
Irresponsible act of humans not only destroy the forests but also alter the bio-diversity and ecology. The fire wards off the native animals from that range to another range as it not only frightens them but destroys their fodder. Fire because of Nature's fury on it's own creations cannot be controlled but human-made fires can be controlled.
Discarding cigarette butts along the fringes of the forest, fire lit for recreational and camping purposes at restricted areas, using fire to chase off animals by the locals are the main triggers for forest fire incidents. And, with the advent of summer, people should abstain from doing such impermissible acts and helps us conserve our forests.