Uttarakhand forest fire: More than 5 killed, huge tracts of forest land destroyed

Dehradun, April 30: More than five people have been killed while 1,890 hectares of forest land have been destroyed in the raging fire in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand.

While the local people were taken into confidence and asked to report to the district magistrate on the fire incident so that measures could be taken on time, the state governor, KK Paul, decided on steps to be taken to stop the forest fires spread further and into the residential areas. [Uttaralhand fire: Timber mafia flexes muscle]

Governor Paul also ordered three National Disaster Response Force to fight the flames and carry out rescue operations. Authorities said the priority is on saving the wildlife.

The governor also doubled the number of personnel from 3,000 to 6,000 deployed in the affected areas.

Over 900 cases of forest fire incidents have occurred in the hilly state. Forty-eight cases of forest fire have been reported from Corbett Tiger Reserve and Kalagarh Tige Reserve, destroying 261 hectares.

Oneindia News