UPPER DIR, Nov 25: An intense forest fire in the Junkai area has reduced to ashes trees in a wide area. The fire is spreading and appears to be out of control.

People living in Kalkot in the Kohistan area have requested the government to provide a helicopter for extinguishing the fire.

The fire had started in the forest a couple of days ago.

Local volunteers tried to extinguish the fire and visited the area on foot.

They said that it had taken them several hours to reach the place and without a link road, the forest could not be accessed fast enough to put out the fire. The area is 90 kilometres away.

The Kalkot police had alerted officials of the Forest Department who said they had tried to overcome the fire.

People estimated that the fire had destroyed trees planted on thousands of acres.

Sources said that the forest fire had started two days ago but the Forest Department had done nothing to control it in time.