A major fire that broke out near a unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at the Kinfra industrial park at Seethangoli near here destroyed standing crops on over 400 acres.
Timely action by the Fire and Rescue Services prevented the fire from spreading to the HAL unit and the adjoining petrochemical unit of the Mangalore Refineries. Dry grass on a vast stretch of land and strong winds made the rescue operations difficult.
Assistant Station Officer K.V. Ashokan, who supervised the operations, told The Hindu that the fire might have been caused when someone casually lighted a fire on the grassland.
The fire destroyed coconut palms, vegetation, and cashew trees spread over 400 acres, in the sparsely populated area. The fire engulfed 50 acres vested with a temple in the locality. The fire was also reported at the nearby temple town of Ananthapuram but did not affect the temple.
Four fire tenders, comprising 32 members, devoted their energy to see that the fire did not spread to the HAL unit and the nearby refineries unit, which had a large stock of petroleum products.
