Matale District Forest Officer Mr. Ashoka Herath is reported to have said that about 300 hectares of forest in Matale district have been destroyed by forest fires and many people who have been involved in the fires have already been arrested.
Mr. Ashoka Herath pointed out that forest burning is done based on several factors such as hunting, escaping from elephant troubles, meeting the need for food.
He also says that if a forest is set on fire due to the prevailing extremely dry weather conditions, it will spread very quickly and the damage caused will not be insignificant.
