GUJRAT: Rescue 1122, local administration and the forest department have successfully doused the fires that broke out in various parts of the Pabbi forest area in the last three days.

Official sources said the fire first broke out near Mohri village on May 29; however, only grass and bushes were initially burnt as the rescue officials extinguished the fire without hours.

They said that the fire again broke out in the forest area between Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir on Friday evening and this time it engulfed the area going deep into the forest, making it difficult for the rescue teams to douse it as no fire engine could reach the location.

Sara-i-Alamgir Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Akmal who had reached the spot soon after the incident told Dawn that the firefighters reached the spot by foot and they took at least three hours to douse the fire. He claimed that trees remained safe in the fire due to the timely operation.

A senior official of Rescue 1122 said 29 officials from Gujrat and Jhelum districts took part in the operation.

The fire yet again engulfed the forest on Saturday; however, it was controlled within half an hour, said an official of the forest department.

Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk said that the forest department had been asked to improve surveillance through forest guards and other methods to stop fire incidents. He said an inquiry should be conducted to know the cause of the fires. He said amidst global warming and climate change, the forests and green areas must be protected to provide a better and natural environment to humans and animals.

The Pabbi forest area between Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir tehsils of Gujrat is spread around 37,000 acres of land.

Forest fire incidents have also recently occurred in Islamabad, Chakwal, Murree and some other hilly areas of the region in the month of May 2024 and now the natural forest area in Gujrat has also become a victim.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024