ISLAMABAD: A fire broke out in Margalla Hills on Monday evening.

An official in the environment wing of Capital Development Authority (CDA) said the fire was reported in Jabri area which was extinguished in a 30-minute operation.

The official said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined but added that it could have been ignited by some local boys whose attempts to cut branches of pine trees were foiled by the environment wing in the same area on Sunday.

The official said as soon as two locals started cutting the branches of pines trees the environment wing team reached there and forced them to flee.“Today’s fire could be a reaction from these two boys,” said the official. He said the fire could not move beyond four kanals and was extinguished in an operation carried out by a 15-member team.

He said the flames were put out through traditional firefighting - beating the fire with bushes.

Every year, fires break out in the Margalla Hills, particularly during the peak fire season starting on March 15 and ending on July 30.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2020