Officials from the Coimbatore Division of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department have claimed that the forest fire that broke out near Rakkipalayam could be man made.

Speaking to Covai Post, a senior official from the department said that the action could have been done by devotees who go to the Melmudi temple.

“The devotees normally are able to spot elephants along the route. As the bushes would have hindered their view, they must have burnt them so that they could see whether any wild animal is there or not. Since the grass was dry the fire spread fast,” he said.

“An investigation would soon be initiated to find out the culprits and arrest them,” the official assured.

Meanwhile, the forest fire that broke out on Friday around 5.30 p.m. was doused after a tough battle. More than 35 personnel from forest department, led by C. Dinesh Kumar, Ranger of Boluvampatti Range, battled till 1 a.m. to bring it under control.

District Forest Officer S. Ramasubramaniam said it took more than three-and-a-half hours to put out the fire which had spread to a vast area before they could reach the spot.

“The terrain is very steep and rocky. So it took a long time for the team to reach the spot,” he informed.