Military assisting civil administration in dousing Margalla Hills fire

Another fire broke out on Sunday on the Margalla hills in Islamabad with army assisting the civil administration in extinguishing the inferno, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The military’s media wing said two Pakistan Army Aviation Helicopters were flown to the affected area. “Helicopters through multiple sorties used bambi buckets carrying water for extinguishing the fire. Fire fighting still continues,” it added.

According to Express News, the fire has engulfed a large area while thick clouds of smoke can be seen billowing from the hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park.

The recent bushfire reportedly erupted on Trail 5 of the Margalla Hills.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered authorities to provide two helicopters "immediately" for extinguishing fire in Patnai area of Swat, following a request by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Also read: ‘No fire incident occurred on Margalla Hills’

The request was made in an attempt to prevent the fire from spreading - a risk that runs high due to dry weather and strong winds.

The premier issued instructions to extinguish the fire at once after approving the request of the district administration and subsidiaries of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The district administration, forest department and rescue 1122 are putting out fires in Patnai Mingora area of Babuzai Tehsil.

In an earlier statement, authorities said fires had broken out in four different places in the mountains of Swat, adding that such incidents were increasing day by day due to the negligence of the departments concerned.