ISLAMABAD: Strong winds intensified a wildfire sweeping through the Margalla Hills, officials confirmed on Saturday.

“Gusts are fanning the flames, carrying embers into untouched areas and accelerating the fire’s spread by fueling it with a continuous supply of oxygen,” said Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) spokesperson Omer Bilal.

According to emergency responders, the combination of wind-driven embers and dry vegetation had created volatile conditions, making the blaze difficult to contain. Omer Bilal attributed the erratic behaviour of the fire to what he called was extremely dry weather and dry vegetation.

Poor mobile phones signals made it difficult for authorities to contact fire fighting teams. Fire started around 1pm, the official said.

Firefighting efforts were ongoing till the writing of this story, with authorities urging the public to stay away from the affected areas as teams work to bring the situation under control.

“Fire fighting members from Capital Development Authority (CDA) had brought more than 70 percent area under control and were still endeavouring to extinguish flames in the remaining 20 to 25 percent area. It became more challenging after flames spread upwards on the slopes,” Omer Bilal said.

This was the third time fire had erupted in the protected Margalla Hills National Park. Two fire incidents within a span of last 30 days, in Ramazan, were brought under control within half an hour, he said.Fire season starts from April and runs till June, he said adding that all fires were due to extreme dryness.

According to sources in CDA, in a recent meeting, authorities concerneddecided that all fire fighting efforts would be carried out by the staff of the civic agency while the role of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board would be limited to creating awareness among locals residing in villages that have encroached inside the national park.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025