A massive forest fire broke out near Kodaikanal Hills in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state, alarming forest officials amid a rise in such cases.
A video of the forest fire is doing the rounds on the internet, showing an aerial view of the hilly forest engulfed in smoke and a huge fire spreading.
The cause of the fire has yet to be ascertained, as experts have yet to determine whether it occurred naturally or due to human activity.
A team of forest department and fire and rescue personnel have been deployed to douse the fire and closely monitor the situation.
The Forest Survey of India (FSI) published a report on March 7 which revealed that there were 391 active fire incidents reported across India.
While Odisha state had the highest number of active fire points, Chhattisgarh recorded 58 active fire points followed by Andhra Pradesh with 48, Telangana with 37, Jharkhand and Karnataka with 32 each, and Maharashtra with 15. Other states have also reported forest fire incidents, but they are fewer in number.
Around 54.40 percent of forests in India are exposed to occasional fires, 7.49 percent to moderately frequent fires, and 2.40 percent to high incidence levels, while 35.71 percent of India’s forests have not yet been exposed to fires of any real significance.