Forest fires ravage Uttarakhand; flames spread across Kedarnath, Nainital hills
What's the story
Uttarakhand is battling a severe forest fire crisis, with blazes spreading across the Kedarnath and Nainital hills. The fires are smoldering in parts of Almora, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts. Strong winds have helped spread the flames from chir pine forests to oak forests above 1,800 meters. The exact cause of these fires, which started on Monday, is still unknown. Local authorities are working hard to control the situation but strong winds are making firefighting efforts extremely difficult.
Kedarnath crisis
Fire may reach our houses soon, warns village sarpanch
One of the fires was reported in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, posing a grave threat to nearby villages. Digpal Rana, the sarpanch of Sharanachai forest village, expressed his concern, saying, "Ours is one of the worst-hit villages. The fire is growing every day and may reach our houses soon." He added that elderly residents are suffering from breathing problems due to smoke inhalation.
Dehradun blaze
Camel Back Forest in Mussoorie also affected
The Camel Back Forest in Mussoorie, Dehradun district, is also reeling under the impact of a massive fire. Divisional forest officer Amit Kanwar said strong winds are making it difficult to control the flames. Sumit Kansal from Nirankari Mission Sewa Dal said his team and locals are working together to tackle the fire. Forester Prakash Kandari added that rocky terrain is hindering firefighting efforts due to fast-blowing winds.
Other regions
Fire tenders being used to control blaze
In the Nainital division, a forest fire is raging through Patwadangar. Divisional forest officer Akash Gangwar said some people may have deliberately started this fire. Fire tenders are being used to control the blaze. Another wildfire has broken out in Pandeykhola, Almora district, reaching near the chief medical officer's residence on the forest outskirts. Chief fire officer Narendra Singh Kunwar said they managed to control it before any major incident occurred.
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394 forest fires reported since February
As many as 251 alerts were issued by the Forest Survey of India on Tuesday alone. The state's forest department has recorded 394 fire incidents since February 15, affecting around 331 hectares. The Garhwal region has been worst affected with 285 incidents over 241 hectares. The Kumaon region follows with 74 incidents over 64 hectares. In wildlife administration areas, 35 incidents have damaged around 26 hectares. Forest authorities have also filed over 90 cases against suspected arsonists.