WAYANAD: Six hectares of forest land were gutted after a forest fire broke out in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. The fire first broke out in the Odapallam forest area under the Naiketty Forest Station in Sultan Bathery Range. The fire broke out in the bamboo forest yesterday afternoon. The fire force, forest department staff and locals controlled the fire after hours of effort.

The fire first broke out in the forest opposite Poothuveedu Colony near Odapallam School. The fire, which broke out among a bunch of dry bamboo trees, spread to other bamboo trees in no time. The fire soon spread to nearby areas. Following this, the locals informed the matter to fire force and forest office. Forest guards and the fire force reached the spot and started trying to douse the fire. The fire force found it difficult to put out the fire as the fire had spread across a large number of bamboo trees. Intermittent winds hampered firefighting operations. The forest rangers and firemen took extra care as the opposite side of the forest where the fire broke out is a school and a residential area.

The fire was brought under control after four hours of hard work. Three units of firefighting vehicles had reached the spot under the leadership of Sultan Bathery Fire Station Officer Nideesh Kumar.