MANASEHRA: A wildfire erupted in the Saleem Bagh mountain range near Mansehra city, causing damage to flora and fauna, as soaring temperatures continue to trigger an increase in forest fires across the country.
“Our teams are actively engaged in efforts to extinguish the fires that erupted in Saleem Bagh and other forest areas of the district,” Ibrar Ali, the district emergency officer, told reporters on Tuesday.
The fire, which broke out in the Saleem Bagh mountainous area, rapidly spread through the forest, destroying trees and wildlife.Firefighters, along with fire tenders, rushed to the scene and started efforts to extinguish the blaze, which spread quickly due to dry grass and pine needles.
“The fire was rapidly advancing towards nearby residential areas and houses, but the swift response of our teams limited it to the forest area,” said Ali.He added that firefighters also used traditional methods to put out the blaze in high-altitude parts of the forest where fire tenders could not reach.
“People should avoid throwing or dumping inflammable materials while visiting forests, as such wildfires not only destroy trees, herbs and shrubs but also kill wildlife, which is a fundamental component of biodiversity,” he went on to add.He said that his department had also launched an awareness campaign to help contain incidents of wildfires in the district.
