Two forest fire incidents were reported in the Sarah and Bandi areas near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday evening, taking the total number of such cases in the division this year to 80.
Teams from the Forest and Fire Departments rushed to the affected spots and managed to bring the fires under control after nearly four hours of hard work, Dharamshala Divisional Forest Officer Amit Sharma said on Monday.
So far, 78 incidents of forest fire had been recorded on the Forest Department’s online portal this year. With the two fresh cases reported on Sunday in Sarah and Bandi, the total count has now gone up to 80, he said.
Around 347 hectares of forest land have been affected by these fires. Initial estimates suggest losses of nearly Rs 92 lakh in the Dharamshala Forest Division.
Sharma said in many cases, people set fire to clear dry grass in their grazing areas, but the flames often spread into nearby forests and cause major damage. He said the final assessment of the damage is carried out later during the second phase of monitoring after the monsoon. During that period, plantation work is taken up in the affected areas, and in many places plants also grow back naturally. Because of this, the final loss figure may come down.
Officials said controlling forest fires in the region is extremely difficult. The hilly terrain, steep slopes of 60 to 70 per cent, strong winds and lack of water make firefighting operations much harder.
The DFO said the safety of forest staff and local villagers involved in firefighting remains the department’s top priority. At the same time, every effort is made to control the flames quickly and limit damage to forest resources.
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