Around 700 acres of forests in the Kormang Gandorai area of
Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been gutted in a massive
fire that continues to spread, local officials told Dawn.com on Friday evening.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Amjad told Dawn.com
that the fire had broken out Thursday evening in the Gandorai area
adjoining the mountains of Bisham city. It soon engulfed the entire
area, including the Kana Tehsil.
"The blaze spread rapidly because of heavy winds," he said.
The DFO said the fire seems to have been "started deliberately", but the department would properly investigate the issue.
He
said that about 200 forest officials and citizens are engaged in
attempts to contain the blaze, which has so far not been brought under
control.
"Ash from burning trees is hurting the eyes of
rescue workers," he said, explaining why progress has been slow. He also
said that rescue efforts had been difficult to execute as the area is
very difficult to reach.
Muhammad Sadiq, a local resident, told Dawn.com
that a mosque, two water supply stations and some houses were also
gutted in the fire. He said forest department personnel are attempting
to contain the fire, but it seems out of their control.
Other
locals asked that the government send special helicopters to put out
the flames, fearing that it may soon spread to other areas as well.
