Udhampur, June 6 : A forest fire broke out in a compartment in the Dabbar area near Flata village in Udhampur district, prompting an immediate response from the forest department.
Range Officer Ayush Gupta stated that teams were deployed to the location as soon as the information was received. Gupta had been managing another fire in the Tirchi forest area of Udhampur, which has since been brought under control, before rushing to the Dabbar site to oversee the ongoing containment operations.
He added that efforts were made to control the fire.The forest department has issued an appeal to the public following a three-to-four-day heatwave advisory from the Meteorological Department.
Residents are urged not to light fires near forested zones, as these blazes cause massive destruction to wildlife, birds, and the overall forest ecology.
Officials noted that the fire is almost doused, and if the weather conditions remain stable and strong winds do not pick up, the department expects to bring the current fire under control shortly.
Earlier on Friday, a massive fire broke out in the Bindi forest area of Kalalkass Block under Kandi Range in the Rajouri district, triggering a large-scale response by the Forest Department and allied agencies, an official said.
The officials added that the ongoing heatwave and dry weather conditions have contributed to a rise in forest fire incidents across the Rajouri district. Firefighting teams are working on the ground to contain the flames and minimise damage to forest resources.
Rajesh Khajuria, a forest official, expressed gratitude to the villagers for their support in extinguishing the fire. He noted that the fire broke out at noon.”
The fire broke out at noon; I found out via a phone call and rushed here immediately. The villagers stood by me and offered immense support.
Everyone came together to extinguish the forest fire. With the help of these villagers, we managed to save the forest.
The people of Bhindi, the people of my area, are truly wonderful and always cooperative; they extend their full support to anyone from the Forest Department. It is thanks to their cooperation that we were able to put out the fire and save the forest,” he said. (ANI)