Uttarakhand Tragedy: Four Killed Fighting Binsar Sanctuary Fire

In a tragic incident at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Almora district of Uttarakhand, four forest workers lost their lives while attempting to extinguish a blaze. The event unfolded on Thursday afternoon under the jurisdiction of the Civil Soyam Forest Division, leaving the local community and officials in mourning. The casualties were identified as Binsar Range Forest Beat Officer Trilok Singh Mehta, Fire Watcher Karan Arya, Provincial Armed Constabulary Jawan Puran Singh, and daily wage worker Diwan Ram.

According to Dhruv Singh Martolia, the Civil Soyam Forest Divisional Officer, the catastrophe occurred around 3:45 pm. A team of eight forest workers was dispatched to manage a fire that had erupted within the sanctuary's boundaries. However, upon their arrival and immediate engagement with the fire-fighting efforts, a sudden intensification of the flames, fueled by strong winds, resulted in four workers being fatally engulfed.

The remaining four workers sustained injuries during the incident and were promptly taken to Haldwani Base Hospital for medical attention. In response to this heart-wrenching event, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his sorrow over the loss of lives. Through a post on X, he conveyed his condolences and affirmed the government's support for the bereaved families, announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh for each family affected.

Chief Minister Dhami also detailed measures being taken to address and mitigate forest fires in the region. A high-level meeting with key officials resulted in directives to engage Air Force assistance for aerial water spraying over the affected areas of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. This strategy aims at controlling and eventually extinguishing the fire as swiftly as possible.

Special Secretary to the Chief Minister, Shri Parag Madhukar Dhakate, highlighted ongoing efforts to closely monitor the situation and confirmed that post-mortem examinations for the deceased are underway. This incident follows another recent tragedy where three workers perished while combating a forest fire at a resin factory in Almora district last month.

Uttarakhand has been grappling with recurrent forest fires due to prevailing hot and dry conditions. The latest reports from the Uttarakhand forest fire bulletin indicate seven incidents in the past 24 hours alone, affecting approximately 4.50 hectares of forest land. These events underscore the challenges faced by the state in managing and preventing forest fires amidst adverse weather conditions.