Kerala: Officials suspect arson after wildfire recurs in Kambamala

Forest officials in Wayanad are investigating potential arson after fires destroyed about 10 hectares of grassland.

A day after a wildfire destroyed part of the grassland in the Kambamala forests in this hilly district, the fire recurred in the same hills near Mananthavady on Tuesday.

The same hills near Mananthavady saw another wildfire on Tuesday, one day after it had devastated a portion of the grassland in the Kambamala woods in this mountainous area. (AFP/representative)

This has led the Forest Department to suspect that it was not a "natural occurrence".

Forest officials said nearly 10 hectares of grassland in the inner forest were destroyed by fire on Monday.

The fire was brought under control by Forest and Fire Department officials after several hours of effort.

However, on Tuesday flames once again spread from the top of the same hill.

In a video message, North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Martin Lowell expressed suspicion over the incident, stating that the fire did not appear to be natural.

He suggested that someone might have deliberately set the fire, as the incidents occurred in grassland areas within the inner forest, where such fires would not typically occur naturally.

"When we examine the situation, we can understand that the fire incidents occurred during the days the area was facing a tiger issue. This is suspected to have been done intentionally to set the forest on fire," the officer said.