Uttarakhand battling with raging forest fires

Dehradun, May 13: Over 60 fresh cases of forest fire were reported from different parts of Uttarakhand as temperature continued to soar in the hilly state. This year, more than 900 hectares of land in Kumaon and Garhwal regions has been gutted in wildfire incidents so far, Chief Conservator of Forest PK Singh said.

He said 64 fresh incidents of forest blazes were reported from different parts of the state on Monday. The total affected area so far is 924.335 hectares, out of which 719.535 hectares fall under reserve forest area and 204.8 hectares is Van Panchayat area, Singh said.

Six people have also sustained injuries in the wild blazes which have also left as many animals dead, Singh added.

Nainital was the worst hit with a total of 183 incidents reported from the district, followed by Almora with 71 incidents, Tehri with 55, Champawat with 46, Pauri with 37 and Dehradun with 31 incidents of forest fires, the official said. He said plantation over 11.5 hectares of land and 284 trees have been destroyed in the fire incidents.

Though the annual fire season in Uttarakhand begins from February 15, there was a spate in fire incidents in May with the temperatures on the rise, Singh said. He said the situation is under control but a spell of rain would definitely bring relief.

PTI