Mattannur: A major fire destroyed several acres of forest land near Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) on Sunday evening. Local people suspected foul play behind the incident which took place in an area set apart for rehabilitation of people during airport development. They alleged that the fire was started by some miscreants in a cashew plantation.
Luckily, no casualties were reported.
The fire started around 6.45 pm on a plot of land which is owned by a private party. It could be extinguished only by 11 pm after strenuous efforts.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Mattannur and Iritty fire stations had reached the spot as soon as they were alerted but failed to control the inferno. Finally, when the fire began spreading and threatened to reach the airport area, KIAL authorities were alerted.
Soon, a fire engine from the airport rushed to the place and joined the fire-fighting operation. The area where the fire raged is accessible only through a narrow road and the fire engines faced great difficulty in reaching there, delaying the operation. The fire was finally controlled following the efforts of all the fire engines.
