Forest fires

Between 1951 and 2010, increases in average maximum, minimum and mean temperatures were among the highest in Tamil Nadu compared to other states in India, shows data from India Meteorological Department. Theni district, where the deaths took place, has witnessed persistent deficits in winter rainfall over the past few years. The frequency of forest fires increases in March and April, as per an analysis by ‘howindialives.’ “The district of Theni, where the fire occurred on Sunday, has experienced 129 fires according to FSI database. Tamil Nadu as a whole has experienced 2471 fires between March 2017 and March 2018

“There was no satellite-based forest fire alert,” Siddhanta Das, Director General forests, said. “More importantly, the group of trekkers did not have permission from the forest department to enter the reserved forests.”