Four of a family killed in Shangla wildfire

Raging inferno in Panjar area of Kahuta, Rawalpindi District spreads 6 to 7kms

SWAT:

At least four people of a family lost their lives in a wildfire that erupted in the remote area of Ali Jaan Kapraai in Chakesar tehsil of Shangla district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.

The deceased included three women and a man.

According to sources, the fire broke out due to unknown reasons and spread in the forest. The blaze also engulfed the nearby area where the settlers were evacuated. Fire tenders and locals rushed to the area to put out the blaze while more teams were on the way.

Police sources said that the fire had engulfed houses in the area due to which the deaths occurred.

Three of the four deceased were identified as Khairunnisa Nazrana, Bibi Rizwana and Khalidur Rehman.

Shangla Deputy Commissioner Ziaur Rehman said that he had directed relevant staff, including Rescue 1122 and forest department staff, to reach the affected area and begin relief efforts.

"The area where the wildfire has erupted is located at a high altitude and is not easily accessible as there is no [proper] route. People have to walk to reach there and that hinders rescue work and controlling the fire."

The rescue officials maintained that the efforts to douse the flames in the mountains had been stepped up while the rescue operation was underway.

District disaster management authority spokesperson Inamullah Khan said the fire had erupted in some bushes and spread to engulf a larger area.

According to Express News, the incidents of forest fire have also increased in the mountains of Swat, Buner, Mingora, Shangla and Chakesar.

Authorities said fires had broken out in four different places in the mountains of Swat, adding that the incidents were increasing day by day due to the negligence of the departments concerned.

The locals maintained that dozens of trees were reduced to ashes because of the inferno.

Meanwhile, a raging inferno in Panjar area of Kahuta, Rawalpindi District has spread six to seven kilometers.

Rescue 1122 personnel had been trying to put out the fire but due to high altitude and difficult terrain fire tenders are facing difficulty to reach the scene.

Dozens of trees have been burnt by the fire so far while the wildlife has also been displaced.

Last month, a huge fire destroyed a pine nut forest in Balochistan's Sherani district in the Koh-e-Sulaiman range, leaving three people dead.