A fire broke out in the Western Ghats, barely a km away from the newly built Adavi Nainar dam at Mekkarai near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, endangering fauna and flora. Though the cause is yet to be ascertained, forest department sources said the shepherds or the hunters could have triggered the fire. The incident has spread shock waves among the officials as the dam is to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, on March 13.