The forest fires in Uttarakhand claimed three lives on May 3 after three labourers at a pine resin factory in Almora died of burn injuries they sustained while dousing a forest fire that had reached close to their factory.
Another labourer injured in the incident is still under treatment. The forest department's daily bulletin provided data on the damages caused by forest fires in the state over the past 24 hours.
All the labourers were from Nepal and not part of the designated firefighting teams.
They received burn injuries while struggling to quell the blaze in the Gananath range of Almora forest division near their factory on Thursday and were under treatment at the base hospital, Almora, the official said.
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It may aggravate problems of patients already suffering from asthma and bronchitis, doctors said.
Dr MS Dugtal, a senior physician at a government hospital, said air pollution can increase asthma and lung problems in children and the elderly.
He said the smog, which was visible everywhere from Nainital to Haldwani, can be risky and advised people suffering from respiratory problems, like chronic bronchitis and asthma, to take their medicines regularly and avoid going out unless necessary.
According to the data, 64 new forest fires were reported from different parts of the state over the last 24 hours, destroying 74.67 hectares of forest land.
Since November 1 last year, there have been 868 fire incidents in Uttarakhand in which more than 1,000 hectares of forest land have been gutted.
Of the total fire incidents, Kumaon has reported 456 and Garhwal 344, the forest fire bulletin said.
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