A major tragedy involving the lives of 30 elephants was averted by the forest officials and the tribals Sunday as they prevented a forest fire from spreading to the elephant camp at Theppakkadu in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).
The fire broke out in the forest area on the Theppakkadu-Masinagudi Road coming under the reserve and spread to nearly 100 acres of the area, sources in the forest department said.
About 30 forest officials, along with over 100 tribals, including women and children, joined in the efforts to put the fire out, which spread to a spot just 100 metres from the elephant camp, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the forest fire in Bandipura in Karnataka bordering Tamil Nadu that has been raging since Saturday evening has been brought under control, they said.
