Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 26 (ANI): A forest fire that broke out in the Narthan forest area of Panchayat Hartyan in Block Ghordi of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district has been raging for the last three days, officials said on Tuesday.
The fire, which falls under the Ramnagar Forest Division, was reportedly triggered by a sudden rise in temperature and has spread rapidly due to strong winds in the region.
Community members living in nearby areas have joined firefighting efforts in a desperate bid to protect their homes. However, strong winds blowing through the region are further fueling the fire, causing it to spread rapidly across the difficult forest terrain and severely complicating efforts to bring the situation under control.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ramnagar Naresh Majotra said multiple compartments and villages in the region have been affected by the wildfire.
“Active wildfires are currently tearing through several compartments and villages. In the North Range, fires are tearing through Compartments 11 and 12/N near Serbala village (Chillar Block), as well as Compartments 1, 2, 16, and 18/N covering Upper Barmeen village, Nallah Ghouran, and Phalal in the Barmeen Block. Our teams are currently on the ground working tirelessly to douse the flames. Multiple sectors within the Ramnagar division have been impacted,” Majotra said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a massive forest fire broke out near Budogi village forest in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, affecting around 14 hectares of forest area late Saturday night, officials said.
According to the Forest Department, the fire erupted in the evening near the district headquarters, following which firefighting teams were immediately rushed to the spot to control the blaze.
Speaking to ANI, Tehri Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Puneet Tomar said the situation is now largely under control and the fire has been extinguished.
He said, “The fire broke out in the evening. Our team here reached here very quickly, and the fire is being extinguished…So currently the fire is about to end, and it has gone downwards where there is no population, and it will end at a rapid pace in an hour and a half from now…Overall, around fourteen hectares of our forest area have been affected.” (ANI)