Banimullah (Kulgam), Jan 18: Massive forest fire that engulfed several areas of Kulgam forests has been contained to a large extent, officials said.
Suhail Ahmad Wani, Range Officer, Kulgam of the Special Forest Division, said that the team had been in the Banimullah area on Thursday to extinguish the flames.
Despite two employees being injured in the fire-fighting operation efforts continue.
Wani said with the cooperation of local volunteers the department has been able to contain 85 percent of the fire.
The fire in the Banimullah area is situated in steep terrain, where the couple of employees skidded and got hurt.
The elevated terrain adds complexity to the firefighting efforts, Wani said, adding that the department has formulated Quick Response Teams (QRT) which are operational 24/7 to address emergencies resulting from frequent forest fires.
Wani further said that due to late hours and challenging weather conditions, the operation was temporarily halted, with plans to resume in the morning.
