A massive wildfire that erupted in the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adenzai continued to spread on Wednesday, even as efforts were ongoing to put out the raging flames, which damaged precious forests in the last three days.
Pakistan has grappled with an unprecedented surge in forest fires in recent years. Provinces, including KP and Balochistan, have seen huge wildfires in the past three years. Adenzai is a mountainous forest zone located in the Lower Dir district where a wildfire broke out in May last year as well and continued to burn for four to five days.
Shabir Ahmad Jan, divisional forest officer for Lower Dir, told Dawn.com that he, along with his team, civil defence volunteers and Rescue 1122 teams, was present and making efforts to extinguish the forest fire.
He told Dawn.com, “The team was using bushes and brooms to beat down the flames, creating a crossfire line by digging up the earth at a distance from the wildfire and throwing soil to smother the flames.”
Jan said the fire was likely set in the bushes and rapidly spread due to drought and scorching heat.
“The fire erupted in a 2.5-kilometre radius in three different places, Osakai, Asband and Kotigram. It is under control in Asband and efforts in the rest of two places continue,” he said.
Jan said that strong winds hampered the fire-dousing efforts. However, teams from Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Lower Swat, Upper Swat, Patrol Squad Malakand West and Dir Wildlife Divisions were called and collectively working to extinguish the flame.
He said announcements were also made in local mosques for help and about safety precautions, such as avoiding setting fire to bushes.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, KP Rescue 1122 spokesperson, told Dawn.com that its district emergency officer and almost all department heads were present at the site of the fire and monitoring the extinguishing operation.
He said Rescue 1122 and forest department personnel had formed a crossfire line in the form of a starvation process, which can eliminate the risk of the fire spreading further.
Faizai said the fire was spread over the mountain range and despite strong winds, blazing flames and intense heat, Rescue 1122 personnel were busy extinguishing it.
