Accidental fire burns 700 rubber trees near Udupi

May 7: An accidental fire at a rubber plantation near Kunjoor in Kaup taluk on Sunday severly damaged 700 rubber trees. The plantation is owned by Srivathsa Rao. The fire was noticed by a local man at noon on Sunday, May 5. The fire caused widespread damaged to the rubber plantation which is spread over seven acres of land, . About 700 rubber trees were burnt in the fire within few hours. The fire brigade personnel prevented the spread of fire to the adjoining plantations. The rubber trees that were gutted in the fire were six to seven years old. Fire brigade from Malpe and fire extinguishers from Adani UPCL were pressed into service to douse the fire.
Sources said that even local people, including women and children, hepled in dousing the fire. They played a major role in extinguishing the fire from spreading to nearby places and their efforts are widely appreciated. As per the information received from Udupi District Fire Officer Vasanth Kumar H M the loss has been estimated at Rs 4.5 lakh.