The fire that broke out atop Kolli Hills in Namakkal district is continuing to rage for the third day and more than 150 forest personnel are pressed into service to put it out.Meanwhile, collector Asia Mariam has directed officials to evacuate villages close to the fire and banned tourists’ entry into the forest. “The fire spread across nearly 200 acres of forest land and destroyed mango trees, betel nut trees and banana trees. It will take at least two days to estimate the extent of damage, however, on the face of it, the damage would be more than Rs 5 lakh,” said a forest official.Initially, the fire started between the foothills of Kolli Hills, Karavalli, Keelchengode and Nadukombai villages. Besides large number of trees, electric poles and live wires were also damaged. The fire and rescue services personnel from Namakkal, Senthamangalam and Rasipuram fire service stations are trying to contain it.On Friday evening, collector Asia Mariam, along with district forest officer Kanchana and Namakkal revenue divisional officer Kranthikumar Pathi, visited a few of the ravaged areas and inquired officials about the steps taken to put out the fire. She also banned tourists from staying atop the hills until further orders. The road transportation between Kolli Hills and Namakkal town has been completely halted since Friday morning. Forest officials at checkposts near foothills have stopped entry of vehicles into the forest and allowed only local villagers to use the Ghat Road.

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